From the beginning
by chasingpavements10
Summary: Yes. Another Sam & Mercedes story. I'm going to miss them on Glee, but you never know what can happen in the future. Here is a sweet story with laughs, tears, & love. Sam and his family have just moved to Lima, and guess who his next door neighbor is...
1. Chapter 1

I know it's been done before, but this is another samcedes friendship into relationship story. This time Sam & Mercedes are next door neighbors and go through the trials of being teens together. I don't own anything, but it would be nice….enjoy!

From the beginning….

Chapter 1

Mercedes POV

From the looks of the moving truck next door it seems that the family moving into the Gordon's old home had kids. 'This could be cool.' Mercedes thought to herself, 'I could land 1 of 2 things, a good babysitting gig if the kids are young, or a new girlfriend, if they have a daughter.' Mercedes loved Kurt to death, but with his increasingly busy schedule she realized that she needed some new friends. Summers in Lima, Ohio were pretty boring. Mercedes best friend Tina was at Asian Camp in Cleveland and Rachel, well let's just say, Mercedes loved her too, but 1 can only take so much of the drama. Mercedes decided to make a good first impression and make some chocolate chunk cookies and use them as an opportunity to introduce herself to her new neighbors. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to have a nice _"how I welcomed the new neighbors to the neighborhood story"_ to share with the rents when they came home, maybe it may give them that extra nudge to allow her to get a car this year…a girl can dream right.

As Mercedes finished the cookies, she decided to put them in an old "Wonder Woman" tin. She collected them and loved to share her love for all things quirky with those she met. She grabbed her cellphone, placed it in her back pocket and quickly looked in the mirror as she began to walk out the front door. Suddenly she stopped and looked closely at her reflection. What if they have a super cute son…yeah right as if that would ever happen? Mercedes grabbed her 'Ole Miss' baseball cap and walked over to meet her new neighbors.

…..

Sam's POV

"Stevie & Stacey, have you seen the box with all my posters!" Sam yelled from his room on the 3rd floor. He was so excited for his family's new start in Ohio. Life had been tough in Tennessee, but as always the Evans family were troopers. After years of struggling financially, Mr. & Mrs. Evans finished their degrees and both received jobs in Lima as architects at a large firm originally based in TN, but was now expanding into the Ohio area. The Evans thought about staying in the TN, but Sam needed to find a school that provided more support for his dyslexia and after much research and email conversation with Ms. Jordan it seemed as if McKinley High would be a perfect fit.

"Stevie, Stacey did you hear me!"

"Yes, would you stop yelling Sam" Stacey yelled back. "We haven't seen your crazy posters, besides aren't you a bit old to have comic book posters on your walls? You're like 16 now?"

Sam rolled his eyes and ignored his little sister's last statement. 'Too old for comics, is she crazy? Little did she know that one day Stacey would see her big brother's name gracing the front a new & exciting comic?' At least that's what he hoped.

Sam ran back into his room and started going through all his boxes again, as he was about the give up he looked out the window hoping for some divine sign to help him remember where he placed his posters. But instead he noticed a shorty walking to his front door singing Payphone by Maroon 5 and dancing at the same time.

Sam strained to get a closer look at the brown skinned girl, but couldn't see her that well because of the blue and red baseball cap on her head. Just then he heard the doorbell ring and ran into his bathroom to check himself out, just in case this girl turned out to be a hottie.

…

Mercedes POV

Mercedes took her earphones out and rang the doorbell to 1311 N. State Street. She always loved this home and love the Gordon's who lived next door to her family for years. Dr. & Mrs. Gordon had grown old and had to move to Virginia to live with family. Having had a big family of their own, Mercedes hoped to share some of the home's _secrets _ with the kids that lived there. After the 2nd ring, Mercedes was greeted by a little blonde girl about the age of 8 with curls everywhere.

"Hi" the little girl said.

"Hi, I'm Mercedes, I live next door, I wanted to come by and introduce myself to your family. Are your mommy & daddy home?"

The little girl stared at Mercedes and began gave her a smile so big Mercedes could see the girls molars.

"Mommy, Mercedes is here, she wants to meet you!"

Mercedes had to laugh as the girl spoke of Mercedes like she had known her forever.

"What did you say Stacey, Mommy couldn't hear, oh, hello" Mary Evans said as she noticed who Stacey was talking to.

"Mommy, this is my new friend Mercedes, she asked if you and daddy were home."

Mercedes smiled at Mary Evans and said "Hi, I'm Mercedes, I live next door at 1313, I noticed that your family was moving in and I wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood."

"That is so sweet Mercedes, well my name is Mary Evans, but please call me Mary and this is my daughter Stacey. Stacey is one of three children that I have, but I have to tell you she is the only girl and the youngest, so you probably will have to get used to her as a new friend." Mary winked at Mercedes.

Mercedes bent down to Stacey's level and told her that she too had 2 brothers and was also the baby in the family, so maybe instead of being friends they could be sisters. At hearing this, Stacey jumped up and screamed, so excited at making a new friend so quickly.

"Mercedes come in so that you can meet the rest of the family."

"Thank you" Mercedes replied "and before I forget, I made these for you, they are chocolate chunk cookies, and I hope y'all like them."

"Are you kidding, these will be gone in about 5 min and I have to warn you my oldest son Sam is a big DC Comic fan so you may have to hide that "Wonder Woman" tin from him." Mercedes laughed and thought to herself, 'Oh great! I knew I should have done a little bit more to my appearance, and he loves DC Comics, I may be in trouble.'

"Everybody come into the kitchen, I want you to meet our new neighbor"

Like lightening, Mercedes heard doors slam; feet run down the stairs as the rest of the Evans clan came into the kitchen to meet Mercedes.

"Mercedes this is Stacey's twin brother Stevie & my oldest son Sam. Guys this is Mercedes, oh dear I forgot to ask what is your last name?"

"Jones, my name is Mercedes Jones."

End of Chapter 1…can't wait to see Sam's reaction to Mercedes!


	2. Chapter 2

It can't be this easy…or can it?

Chapter 2

Sam's & Mercedes POV

"Hi, I'm Sam, but I don't like green eggs and ham." The room suddenly got silent and Sam wanted to slap himself for such a ridiculous introduction.

"Hi, Sam, I'm Mercedes & and I don't like green eggs and ham either." Sam smiled internally as he was so happy that Mercedes was not immediately turned off by his nerdy humor. Most girls were easily attracted to Sam, but once they got to know him, they split pretty quickly. Sam hoped that this new start would possibly give him the opportunity to have his first girlfriend. And maybe, just maybe Mercedes was the one.

"Do you go to McKinley HS?" Sam asked Mercedes

"I do, I'll be a junior this year, how about you?"

"Yes, I'll be a junior too, I'm hoping to go out for football and maybe see what else I can get into."

Hearing the words football brought a frown to Mercedes face. 'Well there goes that Mercedes, just another jock for all the other Barbie's at McKinley'

"Is the football team bad, you lost that beautiful smile as soon as I said football?" Sam took a chance to be a little flirtatious much to the surprise of his mother.

Startled, Mercedes quickly responded, "No, it's just that both my brothers play football and whenever I think of the game I think of them."

"Oh, I'm sorry; do they go to Ole Miss?" Sam asked

"Yeah, how did you know?" Mercedes said

"I noticed your hat as you were walking towards our house; I love the song Payphone too." Sam winked at Mercedes with that last statement

'No he didn't just flirt with me; right in front of Ms. Mary…is this boy crazy.' Mercedes thought to herself.

"Yes, my brothers are Jonah & Asa Jones, they are both Sophomores, we try to go to as many games as possible, so maybe when they play Ohio State, you guys can join us."

"Mercedes that would be lovely" Mary finally interjected as she noticed the obvious attraction her son had to Mercedes. She was actually quite surprised at his boldness, to her knowledge Sam had never had a girlfriend and usually he was very shy around girls especially ones as cute as Mercedes. But maybe this move was really the best thing for her family. Mary smiled to herself as she looked at both Mercedes and Sam.

"Well, I don't want to keep you. Is Mr. Evans home?" Mercedes said

"Oh no dear, he is actually at work and you are not keeping us, stay as long as you like, I do however need to get back to unpacking." Mary replied

"Ok, well you guys should finish helping your momma unpack." Mercedes said, looking at all the Evans children. Just as she was about to say her goodbyes Mercedes contemplated making a very bold gesture.

"Ummm, Ms. Mary"

"Yes, dear."

"Well, since it's your first night in Lima and I'm sure that the last thing you want to do after a long day of unpacking is cook, do you think your family would like to join us for Friday night pizza? It's kind of a tradition in our family. We order Pizza from Lanzano's and watch a movie in our backyard. It's a great way to end the week and enjoy the summer evenings."

"Mommy, please, please, can we go to Mercy's for dinner" Stacy shrieked

Mercedes smiles, "Mercy, now that's a new nickname, thanks Stacey I love it!"

"Mercedes, you are too kind." Mary Evans looked over at Sam who had a pleading look in his eyes, begging his mom to say yes.

"Why don't you check with your parents just to make sure its ok and then I'll check with my husband. But as far as I'm concerned, it's a date!"

Sam almost died when his mom said that.

Mary winked at Sam, knowing that she just embarrassed her son.

"OK, Ms. Mary, I'll call them, do you have a number so I can call you later to let you know the details?"

"Ya know what, my husband has my phone today, Sam give Mercedes your number so that she can call you & let you know the plan."

Sam and Mercedes both froze.

"Um, yeah, I still have my TN number though, is that ok Mercedes?" Sam's voice cracked as he spoke and Mercedes noticed it right away.

"Yes, that's fine."

"OK, it's in my room, I'll be right back."

As Sam returned he quietly came down the stairs hoping to get a picture of Mercedes without her knowing. Mercedes was effortlessly gabbing with his mom and laughing at the story she was sharing. Right in the middle of her laugh, Sam shot a picture, saved it to his phone and gazed at it for just a few seconds.

'Man she is beautiful. And between that laugh and smile, I think I'm hooked.'

"Ok, are you ready?" Sam asked Mercedes.

"Yes, how about I call your number & then you'll have it in your phone."

"Perfect" Sam replied

_Later that evening..._


	3. Chapter 3

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the follows and reviews. I am super excited about this story and can't wait to see where it goes. Enough talk, let's get back to Friday Night Pizza! I don't own anything, but wish I did!

aa.

Chapter 3

Friday Night Pizza

'Seriously Sam, its Friday night pizza, can it really be that big of a deal?' But Sam was nervous as he checks himself in the full length mirror in his room. He decided to pay homage to Mercedes's Wonder Woman tin by wearing a DC Comics tee shirt, dark jeans & Chucks. The shirt fit him perfectly; at least that's what all the girls say.

'But what if Mercedes wasn't like all the other girls?'

Sam thought to himself.

"She didn't show any type of interest when she was over here so maybe, just maybe that's why I'm attracted"

"Attracted to whom?" Sam's heard his father ask.

"DAD! Gosh you scared me; I didn't even hear you come upstairs." Sam said a little startled.

"Ok, now you know I'm here, so I'll ask again, attracted to whom?"

"No one, and even if I told you, she probably won't like me anyway…If you haven't noticed I'm kind of a nerd." Sam said solemnly.

"Yeah, well, I was a nerd once and to be honest with you, I'm still one…but if this is about a girl Sam, just remember that beautiful woman downstairs you call mom fell in love with me despite myself." Dwight said as he looked at his son.

"So tell me about, ummmm what's her name, Mercedes?"

"Well, there's not really much to tell. She came over for about 20 minutes so I really didn't get a chance to talk to her. But there's something different, something special about her that I can't put my finger on." Sam sighed as he spoke to his father with his head looking at the floor.

"Sam, Sam, look at me." Dwight Evans said to his son

"If I tell you something, will you promise to listen?" Dwight asked

"Yes, dad I'll try"

"Focus on building a friendship, and then be the friend for her, that you would want for yourself. If something develops than great, if not…well how about we talk about _"if not" _later." Dwight winked at his son and went downstairs to get ready for dinner with his new neighbors.

Sam looked at himself one last time and said, "Focus on friendship. I think I can do that."

_Jones Residence_

The first thing the Evan's family noticed about the Jones home is that it was significantly larger than their own. It was pretty cool to live in a neighborhood where the homes were all different and each had their own character. Mary rang the doorbell and reminded Stevie & Stacey to act that they "have home training."

Dr. George Jones, Mercedes father, answered the door with a hearty "HELLO!"

Sam looked at the man stunned. To have a daughter that was all of 4'10, how in the world was this man 6'5! At that moment Sam knew he had 1 of 2 options. Make Mercedes the happiest woman alive or die at the hands of her father, Dr. Jones.

"You must be the Evan's family, come on in! Mercedes has told us so much about you. My name is George and this is my wife Ginger."

Mrs. Jones appeared in dark blue capris jeans with a crisp white polo shirt. Coincidently, Dr. Jones was wearing a white polo and jeans as well. The looked perfect together and as Sam smiled to himself he saw where Mercedes got both her height and beauty. Mercedes looked so much like her mom; she probably could have produced Mercedes without the help of her husband.

"It's great to meet y'all" Dwight Evans said in his heavy southern accent. "Thank you so much for having us over, I hope we did not impose on ya."

"No way, we do this every Friday and hopefully we can make this a tradition for both our families." Dr. Jones said with a big smile. "Now who do we have here?"

"Well, I'm Dwight; this is my wife Mary, our oldest son Sam and the twins Stacey and Stevie."

"It's so nice to meet you." Ginger said as she smiled "Come on in, were almost finished setting up the projector in the backyard."

Sam stood in the kitchen listening to the Evans and Jones's carry on adult conversation. He was happy to see his parents make friends so quickly but he couldn't get out of his mind that he didn't see Mercedes anywhere. He was dying to ask if she was home, but knew that it would look a bit desperate as well as tip off Dr. Jones that he wanted to "focus on friendship" with his daughter. So all he could do was thank the Lord in heaven when he heard Stacey ask, "Dr. Jones, where is Mercy?"

"Oh, that's right; Mercedes told me that she got both a new name and a new sister today. She should be home soon, she went to pick up the Pizza and some drinks for everyone." Dr. Jones said as he winked at Stacey

"Yeah, Mercy will be home soon, I want to help her bring everything in the house, can I mamma?" Stacy cried

"We'll see Stacey, some stuff maybe kind of heavy so perhaps Sammy can help her this time around." Mary winked at her son, knowing he was dying to know if Mercedes would be spending the evening with them.

A car suddenly pulled into the driveway and Dr. Jones looked out and said, "Speak of the devil, there's my baby girl. Sam do you mind helping her bring the food in?"

"Sure, Dr. Jones!" Sam replied

Sam went outside already fearful of the visible sweat stains under the arms of his shirt. He always has this problem when he gets really nervous. Mercedes head was down getting her purse, so she didn't see Sam as he approached the car.

"Hey Mercedes!"

"OMG, Sam you scared me. I didn't even see you there!" Mercedes said with a slight giggle.

He opened the door for her as she reached for the handle.

'Wow that was really nice' Mercedes thought to herself.

"Your dad saw you pull into the drive way and asked if I would come help you bring the food in."

"Oh did he." Mercedes said with a tone in her voice Sam could not quite place. Mercedes knew that although most dads wanted their little girls to stay home forever. Dr. Jones actually looked forward to Mercedes meeting someone special. He never pushed the matter, but he knew that a lot of boys did not appreciate how special she was.

"Is that ok?" Sam said with a slight tremble in his voice.

"Its fine Sam, I was just teasing you. I have pizza in the back seat and drinks on the side, what would you like to carry?"

"Whatever is heaviest." Sam said proudly

"Ok then how about the pizza? And where is my little sister?"

"She's inside and I can't tell you how much she would love to bring in a bottle of soda."

"Ok, well that I can arrange." Mercedes went inside to get Stacey and Stevie as Sam stared at Mercedes walking away. "Focus on friendship" Sam said to himself.

Two minutes later, Stevie and Stacey came running out to each get a bottle of soda to help Mercedes bring into the home.

Soon the Jones and Evans were laughing, sharing stories, and making memories as new neighbors.

Tonight was the first night of the Jones Star Wars Marathon. Mercedes, although a big fan, had seen the movie a million times and decided to go back into the kitchen to start cleaning up. Sam noticed her leave and slyly asked Ginger where the bathroom was so that he could steal a few moments with Mercedes.

As he came into the house, Mercedes back was to him as she was cleaning off the kitchen counter top.

"Can I help you with anything?"

Mercedes startled again, jumped and said, "That's the second time today you scared me Sam, what am I going to do with you?"

"I'm sorry, both my dad and I have that bad habit. I'm not really sure where it comes from?" Mercedes looked at Sam and noticed that despite his nerdiness, he was pretty cute. "It's ok, and you don't have to help me, go out and enjoy the movie if you like." Mercedes noticed that when she said that Sam looked a little sad, almost like he wanted to stay inside and help her. "Or if you don't mind getting your hands a little dirty you can help me wash the dishes."

"I'd love too!" Sam said with a big grin

"What! You'd loooooooooooooove to wash dishes, Sam I thought you were cool with that DC Comics shirt on, but now I think I may have to re-evaluate my opinion. By the way, don't think I forgot about my Wonder Woman tin." Mercedes said as she raised an eye at Sam and smiled at the same time.

"OH, so you like DC Comics." Sam smirked at Mercedes.

"Oh please Blondie, DC comics where my night time fairytales as I was growing up. My dad was still finishing med school when I was a baby, so my brothers would read to me Batman, Superman, Martian Manhunter & Green Lantern every night before I went to sleep. In fact between you and me if one of us is having a really rough day, we will call and read a comic to each other. I know it's corny, but it makes the bad times not so bad." Mercedes gave a soft smile to Sam. Sam in turn tucked that little bit of information in the back of his memory for safe keeping.

"How about you, any family rituals that no one knows about?" Mercedes laughed

By the time Mercedes had asked that question, Sam was finished washing the dishes and beginning to gather up the trash to put in the garbage cans. "Well, let's see…I do have one, but you have to promise that you will never tell anyone."

"ooooooooooohhhhhhhhh sounds fascinating." Mercedes said as she narrowed her eyes looking directly at Sam. She holds out her pinky and puts it up to Sam. Sam looks at her strangely, wondering what the pinky is for.

"Pinky swear, Sam, haven't you ever done a pinky swear?"

"No, I haven't" Sam said

"Well then will have to create our own…it will be like a secret handshake. Ok, so let me see your pinky."

Sam had to laugh at the sound of that question, it was loaded, but Sam knew that his mind could not go down the gutter with his new "friend."

Sam raised his pinky and Mercedes locked hers with his. As soon as their fingers touched, both Sam and Mercedes felt lightening, and looked at each other as if to ask, _"Did you feel that?"_ Instead of letting go, Mercedes reached up and pinched Sam's nose. "Oink" She said, "that will be our pinky swear. Got it?" Mercedes asked

"Got it." Sam replied

"So now that I'm sworn to secrecy what's this family ritual…?" Mercedes lowered her voice as she asked that question. Sam took a deep breath, walked toward Mercedes, bent down so that he could whisper in her ear…

OK. Everyone. That's all for now, but, I'm going to update again tonight. I'm having a blast writing this story. Thank you again for all the reviews…I hope to give yall a fun story full of love and good times. Of course we have to put some tears in this too, but I'll wait just a few more chapters before that.

Happy dreams everyone…aa.


	4. Chapter 4

Let's get started…I own nothing.

Eyes.

Chapter 4

"I'd tell you but"

"Then you'd have to kill me…really Sam, you're that goofy?" Mercedes looked into Sam's eyes noticing that their fingers were still locked together. Sam stared into Mercedes eyes realizing that her brown eyes were as dark as charcoal hiding precious diamonds inside.

"Ahem" Startled, Sam and Mercedes looked over at Ginger who was clearing her throat as she caught the two. Sam and Mercedes attempted to go different directions but realized they couldn't because their "pinky swear" still had them connected. They loosened their fingers and tried to act like everything was normal.

"Did I disturb something?" Ginger asked as she opened the trash bags

"NO"

"Why" Sam and Mercedes said at the exact same time

"I don't know it looked as though you two were sharing, ummmmm a moment, I guess you would call it."

Neither Sam nor Mercedes knew how to answer that. In fact they didn't even know what it was that they just shared. Mercedes decided to be the first to speak.

"Mom, please, Sam was just helping me clean the kitchen, did you even notice that all the dishes have been washed?"

Ginger looked around the kitchen and noticed that the place was sparkling. "Your right, this place looks brand new, I think I like you more than Mercedes does Sam." Ginger looked at her daughter as if to say, 'don't think your fooling me little girl.'

"MOM!"

"Yes, Mercedes" Ginger replied to her daughter causally.

"So, Mercedes tells me your sons play for Ole Miss!" Sam shouted

Both Mercedes & Ginger turned to Sam as if to say, "Where the heck did that come from?"

With a lovely smile, Ginger replied, "Yes, my babies, Jonah & Asa do play for Ole Miss, in fact George and I just invited your whole family to the Ole Miss vs. Ohio State game on October 16th, I hope you'll be able to make it Sam."

"I hope so too Mrs. Jones."

"It's Ginger or if you must Ms. Ginger, when you say Mrs. Jones, I'm looking around trying to find mother in law."

They all laughed, Mercedes secretly loving the fact that Sam was able to take away some of the awkwardness.

Eventually the rest of the Evans family & Dr. Jones came into the kitchen. It was getting late and although there was no school tomorrow, it had been a long day and everyone was ready to say their goodbyes. Dr. Jones and Dwight were each holding one of the twins as they were knocked out after a long day. Sam took Stacey from Dr. Jones and Mercedes sighed to herself as she saw Stacey's head fall softly onto Sam's shoulder and her arms wrap naturally around his neck. Mercedes could only imagine what it would be like to be wrapped in those arms.

"Mercedes are you going to say goodbye to the Evan's?"

Interrupted from her day dream, Mercedes gave a hug to Mary and Dwight a kiss on the forehead to Stevie and Stacey and a side hug to Sam as his arms were still filled with his little sister. As Mercedes wrapped her arm around Sam's waist, she softly ran her hand up his side not knowing that Sam could feel every movement her hand made. She looked up at him and said, "Now you owe me two things."

"Two" Sam said confused

"Yes, the ritual you didn't get around to telling me & my Wonder Woman tin!" Everyone laughed, said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

_Later, later, that evening…_

As Sam and Mercedes got ready for bed, they were both so happy that they could barely get the smiles off their faces. Mercedes began her evening routine with a mud mask, high sloppy bun on the top of her head, and a grey v neck tee shirt with the Superman logo on the front and boy shorts with the Superman logo on the bootie. She started singing and dancing to "Call me Maybe."

Sam sat on his back thinking about the night and how much he enjoyed hanging out with the Jones, but lets' be honest and say, how much he loved _"focusing on his friendship"_ with Mercedes. There was something about her that was just simple and fun. He didn't have to try to be someone he wasn't and it seemed that who he was, was ok with her. Isn't that one of the main marks of a true friend, them accepting you as you are? Sam closed his eyes, and began to hum _"Call me maybe"_ to himself. As he looked around he noticed a light shining into his window. He slowly moved to the opposite end of his bed and peeked with one eye out of his window. Sam was stunned when he saw Mercedes holding a hair brush and singing at the top of her lungs while doing the robot.

"Wow" Sam said to himself. Quickly, he looked away knowing that this could get a bit weird and prayed that Mercedes bedroom was in another part of the house.

But she sang the song to the end, turned around and walked out the room. As Sam took one last "peek" he saw Superman's logo waving him goodbye and wishing him a very good night…

Ok. Guys! I will update soon, but I hope you've enjoyed what I've written so farJ So, do you think that Mercedes just "happened" to sing "Call Me Maybe" in plain view of Sam or perhaps knowing some of the homes "secrets" she was taking a chance hoping that Sam had the room on the 3rd floor? We will see…happy dreams everyone. aa


	5. Chapter 5

End of Summer

Chapter 5

The long Lima summers, were usually hot, humid, and super boring. Mercedes often worked at her father's dental clinic but because she was going into her junior year, her parents insisted that she take SAT prep classes to prepare for her college entrance exams. The classes were early in the morning, so Mercedes loved that her afternoons remained open to spend time with Sam. Mercedes and Sam quickly began a routine of afternoon day trips, babysitting Stevie and Stacey swapping stories from elementary school, sharing their most embarrassing moments, and loved most by the two, _Top 5 5_, a little game they made up themselves where each day they picked a topic and named the top five things they loved most or the top five things that least appealed to them. Sam was finding it harder to maintain a friendship with Mercedes. He knew that he really liked her, but there always seemed to be something holding her back from showing her true feelings. Little did Sam know that Mercedes believed once school started, Sam would find some McKinley Barbie to call his girl and leave her in the dust. Knowing how much she was falling for Sam, Mercedes maintained her distance so as not to get hurt once Sam found someone new.

It was the week before back to school and the Jones family took a trip down to Ole Miss to visit Jonah and Asa. Mercedes could not believe how much she missed her brothers and relished the time spent with them.

"So we hear you have a boyfriend?" Asa said jokingly to his little sis'

"Well, you've heard wrong, what boy do you know can handle all this"

Mercedes ran her hands down her body and winked at her two brothers.

Even though they laughed, Asa and Jonah knew that Mercedes was sensitive about her body and used humor to try and mask what she really felt.

"That may be true sis, but, from what we've heard, the new neighbor is crazy about you, body and all."

"I'll believe it when I see it" Mercedes said flatly

"Mercedes, you know we love you, so don't take this the wrong way."

"What" Mercedes asked?

"Well you have a tendency to push guys away. We've seen you do it so many times. It's almost like you've already decided that the guy is going to hurt you, so you either hurt him first or you put up walls so as not to let him in. We hope you're not doing that with this guy. Mom & Dad actually like him and you know that is crazy!"

Mercedes eyes filled with tears that floated right on the edge of her lashes. She bowed her head and whispered, "It would be a miracle for Sam to like me. I know he's not perfect, but he's perfect for me. But look at me, I'm fat, so, so fat. Who would want to be with me?"

Asa & Jonah looked at their little sister with broken hearts. To them Mercedes was beautiful…and the heart that she held within her body only deserved to be given to a great guy.

Asa spoke first, "look Mercedes you may not have the same body as some of the girls you see in school, but you need to ask yourself and really search for the answer, how do I measure my value? Is it based upon the number on a scale or the way that I love others and then in turn allow others to love me?"

Mercedes allowed the tears she was holding back begin to fall. She always felt like her brothers were the only ones that really "got her." She knew she liked Sam, but what if he found someone prettier, smarter, nicer, funnier, wouldn't that prove that the way she saw herself was in fact true. Could she handle that realization?

"Cedes" Jonah spoke up, "you are beautiful. And I know it's cliché to say this, but if Sam can't see what we see, than it's his loss. But, please try to give him a chance. Actually, you have our permission to string him along til Oct. 16th we need to meet him first before we give the ok!"

That made a heavy moment feel light and Mercedes practically strangled her brothers with hugs before she left the Ole Miss Campus.

As the Jones's headed back to Lima, Mercedes was thinking about the conversation shared with Jonah and Asa, she hoped that they were right. She hoped that Sam saw what they saw.

Mercedes suddenly heard a text alert from her phone. It was Sam.

_"Hey I just wanted to make sure your coming back home to Lima? I know it's only been a week, but it feels like 4ever." –sam_

_"Yes, on my way back now…I've missed you all.'-m_

_"I hope you've missed me a little more than the rest of my family"-sam_

_"no comment…but I think you know the answer" _ Mercedes thought for a few minutes before she decided to send the last text. 'You have nothing to lose, here's to something new' Mercedes said to herself. She sent the text wondering how Sam would respond.

Sam sent no response. Mercedes began to get nervous. Minutes went by that felt like hours and still no reply from Sam. She decided to turn off her phone, that way she did not have to worry about his delayed response. All those feelings of self-doubt began to fill her mind. And her charcoal eyes began to once again fill with tears. Soon, Mercedes fell into a deep sleep, dreading her return to Lima.

Sam's POV

Sam read the last text from Mercedes and quickly got out of bed. He began pacing around the room wondering what she meant. "Should I respond, what should I say! UHHHH why is this so hard."

'Just say it Sam, tell her how you feel.'

But he felt it was still too soon. He's only known Mercedes for 6 weeks, but even during that short time, he knew he was whipped. Then he had a great idea, he'd send her a topic for their Top 5 5 game.

_"Let's play our game: Topic; what did you love most about this summer?"-Sam_

Sam shut his phone waiting to hear back from Mercedes but as the hours past she never replied.

"I guess I thought wrong" Sam said to himself and shut his eyes wondering about tomorrow.

Ok. Everyone, this is my last post for tonight. I really want to do the next chapter justice and I know that with these heavy lids on my eyes, I won't be able to do it. Sorry this chapter is so short. But I hope you enjoyed it any way. Thank you again for the follows and reviews- happy dreams everyone-aa.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the errors everyone...it's late, I have a horrible headache, but I wanted to finish this before work tomorrow. Best to you all. Sorry I don't own Glee, but just because of Sam and Mercedes I wish I did...enjoy.

Tomorrow…

Chapter 6

Sam heard the soft sound of moving gravel as the Jones family returned home around 2:30am. He was so torn about Mercedes that he was barely able to sleep. He had a plan that would have been perfect to finally tell Mercedes how he felt, but her lack of response made him think that perhaps Mercedes just wanted to be friends.

"Wake up baby girl, we're home." Sam heard Ginger whisper to Mercedes.

Even at 2:30 in the morning Mercedes was still a vision. She was wearing an Ole Miss Football tee & the Ole Miss hat she wore the first day he met her. She had her hair in pigtails and Sam smiled to himself when he thought about how cute she looked. Just then he noticed her eyes glance up at his window. His lights were off, so she could not see him, but he suspected something was wrong when she looked down at her phone and saw her wipe a tear from her eye. Sam wondered what happened to cause Mercedes to cry. He wanted to say something, but honestly at 2:30 in the morning what could he say.

Mercedes POV

'Was that Sam I just saw peeking out the window? He's probably hiding from me, to embarrassed to let me down easy.'

After turning off her phone, Mercedes quietly cried herself to sleep on the ride back from Jackson, MS to Lima.

'I thought for once I was reading a guy right, I thought that Sam, my Sam, really liked me…well at least liked me in that way'

Mercedes replayed the moments and memories built over the past 6 weeks. She had come to love his crazy impressions, his love for comics, his voice when he sang, those green eyes, & fabulous smile. But there was one day that changed everything.

Flashback.

_"Hey do you have plans this weekend?" Sam asked Mercedes_

_"Kind of, my parents are going to a conference in New Orleans, so I was going to stay with my friend Tina for the weekend. Why what's up?"_

_Sam looked a little sad after Mercedes told him her plans. _

_"Well, we have some family & friends coming in from Kentucky and we were going to do a little Southern BBQ on Saturday, I was hoping you and your family could come." _

_Mercedes knew she couldn't bail on Tina, but perhaps she could make a compromise._

_"What time is the BBQ?" Mercedes asked_

_"We will probably start at 3." _

_"Ok, well how about this, Tina and I have concert tickets for John Legend and Alicia Keys for 7pm, do you think I can come by around 3:30, stay for a bit and then get going into the city?" _

_"I'll take it! Thanks Mercedes, I really want you to meet some of my friends from back home. We talk about your family all the time, so it would be great to put a face with a name." _

_"I'm excited about meeting them; in fact I'll even make my homemade bread pudding, just in case I really need to win them over." _

_Mercedes winked at Sam and went out to get the ingredients for her dessert. _

_Saturday came quickly and Mercedes found herself a little nervous meeting Sam's family and friends. It was weird almost like she was trying to get their stamp of approval, although she really didn't know what for as his mom and dad already loved her. She found a simple A-line Kelly green dress to go with a pair of yellow earrings and necklace shaped like flowers. It was still hot outside so she put her hair in a French twist with a white daisy on the side. Mercedes smiled at her reflection, picked up her desert and walked over to the Evans home. _

_Walking up to the house, Mercedes had to smile as she heard all the "__**y'alls, and oh my lands"**__ echoing outside. Since the Evans moved to Ohio their two families had become so close that she never rang the doorbell when she came over. So she knocked softly so as not to let everyone know she was there. Mary came to the door with a bright smile and let Mercedes in the home. _

_"Mercedes we're so glad you could make it. I know you have to leave us soon, but I really want you to meet our friends and family from back home. Does Sam know your here?"_

_"No, I'm a little early, I wanted to bring by a dessert and I heard the traffic is bad so I may have to leave a little earlier than I expected." _

_"No problem, I'll take your pudding into the kitchen and Sammy is right on the porch talking with his Nanna & Grandy" _

_Before Mercedes went to the backyard she used the powder room to make sure her dress was straight and then closed her eyes saying a little prayer to ease her nerves before she went outside. _

_"So who's this Mercedes girl we keep hearing about from your mamma?" _

_Mercedes eyes bugged out as she heard her name mentioned through the open bathroom window. _

_"Yeah, Sammy, mamma keeps telling us that you're making new friends but it seems like the only friend we hear about is Mercedes."_

_Mercedes didn't hear Sam's reply to the two questions. _

_"Soooooooooooooo Sam who is she?" His Nanna asked_

_"She's my friend Nanna." Sam said with a little crack in his voice._

_"Just a friend Sammy, it seems like there is a little more there than friendship." Sam's Grandy said._

_"Well tell us what she's like; are we going to meet her?" Sam's grandparents asked at the same time._

_"She's amazing. She's smart, funny, talented, and very kind." _

_Mercedes could not believe the words she heard coming from Sam's mouth. She knew they had something unique, but had no idea that he felt that way._

_"Ok, good to know Sammy, so tell us one last thing…is she beautiful?" _

_Mercedes looked in the mirror and began to feel the sting of tears form in her eyes. She always received compliments about her personality, but her appearance, not so much. _

_When he heard the last question, Sam sighed to himself and said,_

_"She is to me." _

_Mercedes couldn't' believe her ears, 'Sam Evans thinks I'm beautiful.' She said to herself_

_Almost on cue, Mercedes tapped on the screen that leads to the families back porch. Sam turned around to see a glowing Mercedes Jones waiting for him to open the door. Sam jumped up and gave Mercedes a big hug, smiling from ear to ear that she was finally here to meet his extended family._

_"Nanna and Grandy, this is Mercedes Jones!"_

_The look on his grandparents face was one of shock. Never did they think that Mercedes would be a curvy chocolate girl._

_"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Evans" Mercedes said with a big smile_

_Sam's grandparents looked at Sam and Mercedes and saw something endearing between the two of them. They were so different in appearance that they could only imagine that what they shared had to be special. _

_"Mercedes, it is so nice to meet you, now come here and give me some sugga." Sam's nanna said softly_

_Mercedes walked over to Sam's grandparents and gave both of them sweet pecks on the cheek. Sam was a little jealous of his Nanna and Grandy, getting a kiss from Mercedes before he did. _

_"It's so nice to meet you; Sam has told me so much about you both." _

_"Well, bless his little heart, Sam was just telling us about you and I must say you are beautiful." _

_Sam's face turned scarlet red. _

_Mercedes laughed and said, "I pay him in advance to give me compliments, and it's good for my self-esteem." _

_Everyone laughed at Mercedes joke and as she looked up at Sam she placed a hand on his arm and noticed that their eyes locked for a few seconds. They turned away at the same time, but knew that something between them was growing. _

Mercedes loved that memory and felt a pain in her throat believing that she and Sam would never go farther than friendship.

Sam watched Mercedes walk into her house and decided to go for it, tell her how feels and deal with the consequences later.

Mercedes turned on her phone and plugged it in the wall so that she could charge it the remainder of the evening. As soon as the phone was turned on, she heard it ring. Not wanting to wake her parents she ran to the phone picked it up and whispered…

"Hello."

"Look outside" the voice said on the other end of the line.

Mercedes walked to her window and saw Sam holding up a sign with the following words:

**_When you are finished reading each sign pinky swear so _**

**_ I know to go to the next one._**

Mercedes held up her pinky and pinched her nose, letting Sam know she was finished reading the sign

**_I was wondering about my Top 5 Memories from this summer_**

Pinky Swear

**_# 5-Having my mom and dad get jobs so that we don't have to _**

**_ Live in a horrible motel_**

Pinky Swear

**_# 4-Teaching Stevie and Stacey how to ride a bike_**

Pinky Swear

**_# 3-Moving to Lima, Ohio_**

Pinky Swear

**_# 2-Friday Night Pizza with the Jones_**

Pinky Swear

**_# 1-MEETING YOU._**

Mercedes froze when she read the last card. Sam stood with the card in front of his heart. The next card read:

**_You didn't pinky swear_**

A smile as big as the sky came across Mercedes face as she ran downstairs, out the side door and walked right up to Sam.

"Hi."

"Hi to you." Sam said staring into Mercedes charcoal eyes.

"I turned my phone off, I was afraid you weren't going to text me back."

"I did text you back, but I kind of like this better."

"Yeah, me too."

"Listen" Both Sam and Mercedes said at the same time.

"Ladies first"

"I'm not really sure what to say. I've never done this before."

"Done what before?" Sam asked softly

"I've never, you know, had a boyfriend."

"Well, that makes two of us; I've never had a boyfriend either." Sam laughed trying to relieve some of the tension.

"I'm serious Sam, I'm nervous, I don't know how to do this, and honestly I never believed I would have too." Mercedes looked to the ground slightly embarrassed to tell Sam something so personal.

"Mercedes look at me" Sam took his right hand and placed it under Mercedes chin so as to raise her eyes towards his own.

"I've never had a girlfriend and I've never kissed anyone. But, I have to say, that if there was anyone I'd want to experience all of those firsts with, it would be you."

By this time, Sam had placed his signs on the ground and found himself standing closer than he has ever stood any girl that was not family. He took Mercedes hands and laced their fingers together. Both of them felt a shock at the intimacy of their touch.

"What are we doing Sam?" Mercedes asked

"The first day I met you, my dad gave me the best advice. He told me to focus on building a friendship with you. Do you consider me a friend Mercedes?"

Mercedes knew this conversation was going to force her to become vulnerable. It was a scary thought, but if she wanted this to work, she was going to have to try.

"I just met you Sam and already I feel like you're one of my best friends."

"Me too." Sam said steadily closing the gap between the two of them.

"My dad told me something else. He said that instead of trying to find someone, be the person you want to find. You bring out the best in me Mercedes, I love who I am when I am with you. And I would only want this to work if you feel as though I do the same for you. Do you like who you are when you are with me?" Sam asked with a look of concern on his face. He realized that her answer had to the power to make him or break him.

Mercedes thought about the question. She never looked at relationships that way. Her and Sam were only 16, wasn't this conversation a bit heavy. But then again, maybe that's why she adored this guy; he loves so hard that when he gives, he gives everything.

"Sam" Mercedes was staring at the ground as she whispered his name

"Sam, I love the way I feel when I am with you. I feel like I'm enough. Like there's nothing else I need to do, but be myself. But what's funny is that because you do that for me, I want to be better for you. Does that make sense?"

"Perfect sense" Sam smiled and once again raised Mercedes chin so he could see into her eyes.

"Soooooooooo." Sam paused wondering how he would say this. "Mercedes, if you'll be mine, I'd like to be yours."

Mercedes smiled and wrapped her arms around Sam whispering in his ear, "Yes, you can be mine."

As they broke away, they stared into each other's eyes wondering where the next moment would take them. Neither of them had been in a situation like this before. Sam's hands were around Mercedes waist, so he slowly raised them to her arms, then her shoulders, and stopped as both of his hands held her beautiful face.

"Sam." Mercedes whispered

Sam knew that he would never get tired of hearing her say his name.

Instead of answering, he leaned his face toward hers and gently pressed his lips against her own. He held them there for a few seconds, breaking away only to look at her face after their first kiss.

Mercedes eyes were closed and a slight smile came to her face. Sam thought she looked like an angel. As she opened her eyes, Sam could not resist closing the gap between them and kissing her again, this time with more pressure and confidence.

Mercedes placed her arms around Sam's shoulders participating more fully in the kiss. It was sweet, passionate, perfect for the first.

As they broke apart, they lowered their hands allowing Sam to join them together and massage the tops of Mercedes hands with his fingers.

"Thank you."

"For what?" Sam asked

"For being a perfect first kiss." Mercedes said bashful that she had to explain

"I want all of our first to be together Mercedes."

Mercedes raised Sam's hand to her lips and kissed it gently. Sam did the same kissing both of Mercedes hands instead of just one.

"So I'll see you tomorrow." Mercedes said

"It is tomorrow." Sam replied softly

Mercedes gave Sam a warm embraced and whispered

"You're the best Sam."

Sam smiled and hoped that he could make her believe that for a very long time.

Ok. Everyone, I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Schools about the start at McKinley High and I hope Sam and Mercedes have a great year. Stick around and we'll see. Thank you again for all the reviews and follows. I love reading all your comments. If anyone has any plot twist and turns let me know, I may just decide to add them to the craziness that is already in my brain. Happy Dreams everyone. april


	7. Chapter 7

McKinley High

I own nothing, just my imagination and a desire for a story that makes people want to read more. Literary quotes are from Harper Lee's,_ To Kill a Mockingbird. _ Enjoy everyone!

Chapter 7

"Ok everyone! I know it's only the 4th week of school, but I've noticed that some of you are not completing the reading assignments given each week. So to make sure that everyone ENJOYS Ms. Harper Lee's _"To Kill a Mockingbird_" I have randomly selected a few of you to read OUTLOUD so that we can get through this book together!"

Sam cringed when he heard Mrs. Anderson's words. Reading alone was already a struggle for him, and reading OUTLOUD was basically a death sentence. Mercedes on the other had loved any opportunity to perform and was hoping that she was assigned to read for the books main character, Scout.

"Please listen for your name, we will begin the reading today."

_"Mercedes Jones-Scout_

_Finn Hudson-Atticus Finch_

_Kurt Hummel-Boo Radley_

_Sam Evans-Dill Harris_

_Mike Chang-Bob Ewell_

_Tina Cohen-Chang-Calpurnia_

_Rachel Berry-Miss Maudie_

I'll give everyone 10 min. to go through chapter 1 before we start reading. BE GREAT everyone!" Ms. Anderson said

'What symptoms can I fake to get out of this' Sam thought to himself.

"Hey you!" Mercedes says as she runs over to Sam. "This is kind of cool; Scout and Dill are basically best friends, kind of like us!"

Sam looked at Mercedes like he was going to get sick, "Yeah well, I'm not doing this assignment, I'll just take the fail and go on about my business." Just like that Sam jumps up out of his seat and runs out the door.

"Mr. Evans, where are you going?" Mrs. Anderson asks

Sam ignores his teacher and runs out the classroom much to the dismay of not just his classmates, but more importantly his girlfriend Mercedes.

"May I be excused Mrs. Anderson; I'll be back before we start reading."

"Make it quick, Mercedes. And if you see Mr. Evans out there, tell him, I'll expect an explanation for his behavior before the end of the day." Ms. Anderson said irritated.

Mercedes ran out the door looking for Sam but could not find him anywhere.

_"Hey, where are u? What happened back there?"_ Mercedes texted Sam

After a few minutes, Mercedes still had no reply from Sam. She was worried about him, but knew that being her next door neighbor he could only hide from her for so long. Mercedes headed back to class hoping that Sam was ok.

The rest of the day was a complete blur for Mercedes. They had at least 3 classes together and Sam was in none of them. After Glee club, Mercedes sped home knowing that she would see Sam and he would have some explaining to do.

When Mercedes pulled into her driveway, she went directly to the Evans home. Mary was on her way to pick up Stevie and Stacey and told Mercedes that Sam was in his room.

"Ms. Mary, did Sam say anything about what happened at school today?  
Mercedes asked

With a sigh and a sad look on her face Mary replied, "Yes, he did and I'd like to tell you why Sam reacted like that, but I really think HE needs to explain it to you. He's in his room, make yourself at home, we should be back by 6." With that, Mary gave Mercedes a hug and was off to get the twins.

Mercedes was nervous about seeing Sam. She knew that things were bad when Finn and Mike told her that he didn't go to football practice. Mercedes walked quietly up to Sam's room. She stopped midway up the stairs as she realized she had never been in Sam's room before.

'My mom and dad are going to kill me if they find out I was in Sam's room alone without Mary or Dwight being here. This boy better explain himself.'

As Mercedes got closer to Sam's room she heard something.

"Curiosity was a Dill, OH SHOOT! I mean _Dill was a curiosity"_ Mercedes heard Sam say.

"He wore linen shorts blue buttoned his shirt. CRAP!" Sam yelled _"He wore blue linen shorts that buttoned to his shirt… _that's better" Sam said to himself.

Mercedes was confused at what she heard. She listened for a few more minutes not wanting to make Sam think she was eavesdropping, but just wanted to make sure that what she heard was right. At hearing a soft knock on the door Sam replied, "Mom, I'm trying to read this book so I can be prepared for tomorrow, I'll take the trash out when I'm done."

"That's great; can you take my trash out too?" Mercedes asked with a big smile on her face.

"Mercy, what are you doing here, I didn't hear you come in?" Sam asked slightly embarrassed and blushing.

"I might ask you that same question Sam! Did you get my texts; I've been worried sick about you, why did you storm out of Ms. A's class?"

Sam looked at Mercedes knowing that she was not going to leave until she got the truth. They've only been dating for a little over a month, but Sam was steadily getting to know the sassy side of Mercedes and although sometimes it was quite a turn on, right now, he knew this was no time to play.

"Honestly Mercedes, it's really not any of your business." Sam said looking back at his book

There was a 30 seconds of silence letting Sam know that this would be the first and last time he would tell Mercedes that something was not her business.

"Excuse me, what did you just say?" Mercedes said very slowly

"Mercedes, my leaving Mrs. A's class has nothing to do with you, I have homework to do so unless you were planning to do your homework here, I need to get back to my assignment." Sam said with a stern voice.

"Homework, now that's interesting." Mercedes replied slowly and with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"What's interesting?" Sam asked.

"It's interesting that you have homework when you didn't go to any of your classes today. It's interesting, that last week you said that Tuesday's were Sam & Mercedes lunch dates and yet here it is Tuesday and I had lunch alone, it's interesting that the boy who is always the first one at football practice, didn't go today, and it's interesting that your mom told me that you have something to tell me, but yet, here I am still in the dark not knowing what's is going on!"

Mercedes was glaring at Sam as he was staring down looking at the book in his hand.

"Sam."

"Sam."

"Look at me, please. What is going on? Did I do something? I want to help." Mercedes voice was now cracking and Sam could hear the fear in her voice. It was this that made him come clean. The last thing he ever wanted to do was make Mercedes feel that she had something to do with this morning's events.

"I'm not a good reader." Sam said slowly and quietly

"What do you mean you're not a good reader, I just heard you reading before I came in your room." Mercedes replied

"What! You were eavesdropping on me! How could you do that Mercedes?" Sam yelled

"Sam calm down, I only heard a little, I couldn't tell what you were doing and I didn't want to disrupt you if you were busy." Mercedes tried to explain

"Really, so you're not going to go out and tell everyone that blondie can barely read." Sam was talking with sarcasm and almost in tears.

Mercedes stopped herself before she said something she would later regret. Then she looked him straight in the eyes and said, "No. I would never do that to you."

The tension between them was thick. Both of them realized that they were having their first fight and hated every moment of it.

Mercedes turned around to walk out of Sam's room. She gently closed the door behind her and went down the stairs. Sam sat on his bead having no idea what to do next. Mercedes had left her books in the Evan's kitchen and went to get them before she went home.

When she got to the front door Sam was standing there with bloodshot eyes and his hands in his pocket. "I'm not a good reader because I have dyslexia" Sam quietly said to Mercedes.

"Ok." Mercedes replied

"I ran out of Ms. A's class because even though I didn't want the class to hear me read out loud, it was really you that I didn't want to hear me. I didn't want you to think that you had a dummy as a boyfriend." Sam's voice continued to crack as he spoke to Mercedes, this time looking straight at the floor.

Mercedes put her books on the stairs, walked up to Sam, and laced her right pinky with his. His back was against the front door and instead of looking at the floor, now he was avoiding Mercedes eyes by looking toward the living room.

"Your girlfriend wears purple leopard leggings with the word **_Jelly _**across the bootie. I collect Hello Kitty and Flash Gordon lunch boxes, I'm part of a school club that is so hated that people throw slushies' in our faces, and I'm pretty sure that people think our basement is a dungeon where my dad keeps all the rotten teeth he pulls from his patients. And yet, I have you as my boyfriend. The cutest new boy ever" Mercedes said with a giggle

This made Sam smile as he turned his face to look at Mercedes and pinch her button nose.

"I would never be embarrassed by you. But I do wish you would have told me what was going on. I can help you."

"No, Mercedes, I can do this myself." Sam interjected

"Actually, no you can't. And why would you want to? You are very talented Sam. And I don't want to see you waste you're gift because you're embarrassed to get help. Did you know that Ms. A is also a reading specialist? She can help you and I can tutor you after school whenever you need it." Mercedes could tell that Sam was hesitant with getting help from his girlfriend. He knew that McKinley had support services for students with his challenges, but after he met Mercy he wanted to keep his dyslexia to himself.

Because Mercedes could tell he was not fully convinced of her plan, she stood on her tip toes and whispered in his ear, "Sam, I'll even give you a discount for my services. You can pay me in kisses and hugs instead of money." Sam's face immediately, perked up as his mind imagined what "private lessons" from Mercedes could be like.

"Get your mind out the gutter Evans. We'll be studying downstairs in the living room. If my parents knew that your sessions were THAT private, that window that you like to peep into will be bricked up so fast you'd think it was done by one of your little comic heroes."

Sam's eyes' bugged out of their sockets. "Seriously, do you really think I haven't seen those blonde locks of yours straining to get a glimpse of me at night." Mercedes said

Sam was speechless.

"Oh what, now you don't have anything to say?" Mercedes said with her signature sass.

"I like the Wonder Woman bra & panty set." Sam said with a smirk

Mercedes rolled her eyes, looked up at Sam and said, "Just for that, I'll be wearing sweat pants and long sleeve shirts to bed for now on."

Sam lost his breath and tried to recant his previous words, but it was too late, the damage was done and Mercedes was about to be on her way home.

Mercedes went to pick up her books, but before she could do that, Sam grabbed her around the waist, wrapped both his arms around her and hugged her as tight as he could.

"Sam, I can't breathe." Mercedes gasped

Lightening his hold, Sam bends down and says, "Mercedes, I don't know how to thank you."

"I already told you, hugs and kisses!"

With that, Sam turned Mercedes around and kissed her lips softly. She slowly wrapped her arms around his waist to deepen their kiss. Up until this point, their kisses had remained chaste. To Sam's surprise, Mercedes pulls away only to return with lips opened slightly to accept his tongue. They found a pattern that fit them perfectly and did not separate until they were both out of breath. Mercedes wrapped her arms tighter around Sam's waist as she heard the beating of his heart singing into her ears.

"You're the best, Mercedes." Sam said into the top of her head

Mercedes closed her eyes, still amazed at the blessing she had in her arms.

Thank you for reading everyone! I still cannot thank you enough for all of your wonderful reviews and messages. They make me want to continue this story even more. The next chapter is going to skip to the October where Sam gets to meet Jonah & Asa Jones! It will be fun, I promise! Happy dreams everyone-april


	8. Chapter 8-

Ole Miss'

Chapter 8

"Sam! Come on, were going to be late!" Mary yelled up to Sam's room as the rest of the Evan's clan ran to the car to meet the Jones's at the Ohio State vs. Ole Miss Game. Everyone but Sam was excited to see the two teams play. Well, actually, Sam was excited for the game it's what will happen after the game he was dreading.

Mercedes was totally decked out in her Ole Miss gear. She was wearing dark blue skinny jeans, a red "The Grove" tee shirt, an Ole Miss Baseball cap and long flowing curls that fell below her shoulders. The back her shirt had JONES written on it with both of her brothers Jersey numbers below the writing. She too was a little nervous about her brothers meeting Sam. The Jones kids were as close as siblings could be, but being the only girl and the baby in the family, Jonah and Asa Jones did not mess around when it came to Cedes heart.

The crowd was pumped and over 50,000 students, faculty, and family members filled Buckeye Stadium. Mercedes saw Sam as he came in with his family. Knowing that he would never hear her yell over the crowd, Mercedes ran down the bleachers and covered her hands over Sam's eyes as she walked up behind him.

"Susan is that you?" Sam said with a smirk on his face

"Ummmmm, who is Susan, is that your plan B if you and I don't work out?" Mercedes said with a bit of sass in her voice.

Sam reached down and grabbed Mercedes into a deep hug. "I don't have a plan B, it's you and I or no one." Sam whispered in Mercedes ear. In that second, Buckeye Stadium vanished and it was only she and Sam in the moment.

'Did he just say what I think he said' Mercedes said to herself.

She shyly looked into Sam's green eyes and pulled down the rim of the Ole Miss hat she bought him when she visited her brothers last month. "Come on, Casanova, where're sitting in section D." Mercedes and Sam laced their fingers together and felt an electric shock run through their bodies at the exact same time.

The game was a blast and although the Jones and Evans families should have been rooting for Ohio State, family ties made them root for Ole Miss so everyone was happy when Ole Miss won the game 31-27.

Mercedes was not sure if they would have time to spend with her brothers. Usually the team headed straight to Oxford, MS once the game was over. But Coach allowed Jonah and Asa some family time and told them they could stay the night as long as they returned to Oxford by Sunday afternoon.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Mercedes screamed as Jonah and Asa picked her up as they came out the locker room. They carried her with such ease that those looking would assume she weighed 10 lbs.

"Put me down, you're going to drop me!" Mercedes yelled as now Asa and Jonah were swinging Mercedes from side to side as one was holding her arms and the other her legs.

"DADDY! DO SOMETHING!"Mercedes yelled even louder. Dr. Jones looked at his 3 kids and smiled to himself before he gave Jonah & Asa "the look" reminding the boys that even though they were 6'5 they weren't too old to get smacked upside the head.

"Hey, baby girl!" the Jones boys cheered

"Don't you baby girl me, are you crazy, what if you dropped me"

"Really Mercedes you weigh barely anything, are you too girlly now that you can't hang with the big guns!" Jonah teased "Now give me some sugar."

"Sugar, seriously, guys, I know you're in Mississippi and all, but can we tone down the Southern accent" Mercedes teased while standing on her tip toes and kissing both of her brothers on the cheek.

Sam watched the banter between Mercedes and her brothers. He knew he was a dead man if he did anything to hurt his or maybe he should say, "their girl."

"Is that him?" Asa whispered to Mercedes

"Yes, that is Sam, please be nice."

"I'm always nice." Asa whispered back to Mercedes while he gave Sam a death stare

"Jonah, Asa, I'd like you to meet the Evan's family. This is Dwight, Mary, Stevie, Stacey, & my boyfriend Sam." Mercedes said with cheery voice

"Nice to meet you" Mary said in behalf of the family. "Mercy talks about you all the time, I feel like I know you already."

"Thank you for letting us come to your game, did you see the back of our shirts?" Stacey said as she looked straight up at Jonah Jones.

"No I didn't can I see them now?"

Stevie and Stacey turned around at the same time and written on the back was:

HOTTY TODDY

The cheer that Ole Miss Fans say to route on their team.

"That is really cool Stevie & Stacey, thanks for coming today."

"You're welcome" Stacey said shyly. "Jonah, since Mercy is my sister does that make you and Asa my brothers?"

"I guess so, now we have 2 beautiful ladies to look after." Jonah replied giving Stacey a little wink

"Well, is everyone read for dinner, I thought we could go down to the Charcoal Pit for burgers and shakes?" Dr. Jones said.

The Evans and Jones family walked to their cars, while Mercedes, Sam and her brothers piled into her Jetta. Mercedes could tell that Sam was nervous so she whispered "You'll be great" into his ear as the four of them walked to her car.

"So, Sam Mercedes tell us that you kissed her."

"JONAH!" Mercedes yells back at her brother, glaring at him through the rear view mirror.

_'This is going to be the longest 30 minutes of my life. Why couldn't we go the McDonalds across the street so that I wouldn't have to be in the car with these guys?'_ Sam thought to himself

"So, is that right?" Jonah followed up

"Yes." Sam said barely able to get a whisper out of his mouth

"Ok and do you plan to do anything more than kiss our sister?"

Mercedes and Sam both felt a little awkward with this line of questioning. They've only been dating a few months and they have kept everything chaste. Sam was raised to respect women and knew that he would never force Mercedes into anything she was not ready for. However, he was also 17 and each day becoming more and more attracted to this beautiful woman sitting beside him. Jonah & Asa were 17 before, so he figured the best way to answer the question was to be honest. Hopefully, he would get their respect instead of an early grave.

"Guys please" Mercedes pleaded with her brothers

"It's ok Mercy, I have a little sister and to be honest with you I'd be asking the same questions. Yes. I have kissed your sister…several times. And yes, if she will have me, I want to take our relationship to the next level, but only if and when she is ready. I'm in this for the long haul and plan to stick around no matter when she makes that decision."

Jonah and Asa were impressed with Sam's answer and for once were silent while sitting in the back seat. As they pulled up to the Charcoal Pit Asa said, "Cedes, do you mind getting us a table while we talk to Sam?"

Mercedes hesitantly, looked at Sam and then gave her brothers a death glare as she got out the car.

The awkwardness in the car was so heavy that Sam was afraid to breath.

"Relax, Sam were not going to kill you…yet." Jonah said jokingly

"We just wanted to talk. Mercedes means the world to us and being so far away we're not able to keep an eye on her. She's never talked about a guy the way she talks about you so we needed to make sure that you're not just playing with her heart."

"I would never do that to Mercedes." Sam said with confidence "Next to my family, she's the most amazing person I have in my life."

"That's good to hear, but we just wanted to warn you that although Mercedes has a tough exterior, she is actually very self-conscious. She doesn't have the body that she wishes she had, she is often overlooked despite her talents in Glee Club, & she's never had a boyfriend before so those issues have led to situations that have really hurt our sister."

Sam turned to the Jones boys and said, "What do you mean?"

"About 2 years ago, Mercedes attended a private boarding school for the arts in Columbus. She really wanted to focus on her singing and this school had an awesome music program. The school was expensive and had a pretty snobby student body. When we dropped Mercedes off we could tell that it wasn't really her speed, but she was determined to focus upon her music and not let the schools climate affect her. As the weeks went by, we could tell that Mercedes was not happy. She called home all the time and although she said everything was fine she never talked about friends, clubs, or anything social. One night around 11:30 pm, my parents got a call from Mr. Murphy the headmaster at The Hill School. Mercedes was in his office crying hysterical at something that happened earlier that evening."

Sam was getting nervous. How could he not have known this story? Mercedes told him everything, but none of this sounds familiar.

"Mercedes had finally met some friends, or so she thought, and they invited her to the movies one Friday night. We knew she was excited because it was all she talked about 2 weeks prior and even asked us to help her pick out an outfit for the evening. When she came back to her room she noticed that her door was slightly opened. She ignored it thinking that in all her excitement she didn't shut the door completely. When she walked into her room there was a sign that read:

The Hill School's top 10 Reason's to hate Mercedes Jones:

She's fat

She's ugly

Her voice sounds like a mooing cow

She's black

She "gets around"

"Stop, I get the point." Sam said as he interrupted Jonah & Asa

"Do you Sam, do you really get it?" They asked

"Mercedes was ruined that night. And it's taken 2 years to get her to the person you see today. Do you realize that she believes those things are true? Do you realize she believes that if the two of you do not work out, it will be because of that Top 10 list from The Hill School? We're not saying this to scare you; we're just letting you know that Mercedes will say yes to anything you want, just keep you."

"I doubt that." Sam quickly said

"Sam, it's true, that's why we asked those questions, Mercedes needs hear how you feel about her. But more importantly, she needs to believe it. Jonah and I were already 17 and we know what it's like to have that "desire." But were just asking you to please make sure that if and when you and Mercedes take that next step that you are certain that it's what both of you want and not just what Mercedes feels she needs to do to hold onto you."

Sam could not believe what he was hearing. Mercedes always seemed to have it together. And self-confidence always seemed to ooze out her pores like there was too much of it bottled inside her body.

Jonah and Asa, interrupted Sam's thoughts by saying "Sam, did you hear us?"

"Yes." Sam said simply

"We don't want to come back to kill you; Mercedes really seems to like you. But, Oxford isn't too far to come back & kick your butt!" Jonah and Asa said with a big laugh.

"Thanks guys." Sam said with a smile.

"You seem cool Sam; just treat our baby girl right."

"I'm trying."

Sam, Jonah & Asa headed into the Charcoal Pit and sat down with the Evans and Jones's for dinner. Mercedes could feel Sam's stare all night. She wondered what her brothers told him and got scared that maybe they were too protective and scared him off. She felt the vibration of an incoming text and quickly took her phone out her pocket.

"_You look beautiful tonight, I'm having a great time, can we have some "us" time when we get back to the house."-Sam_

_"Thank you. I would love some "us" time later tonight. Meet at our place?"-Mercy_

_"Of course."-Sam_

Mercedes was smiling from ear to ear and her brothers quickly noticed the change in her demeanor.

"What are you smiling at Cedes? You got a hot date tonight?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes at her brothers and then grabbed them in a big hug, not wanting the evening to end.

_Later that night…_

Sam and Mercedes went to the Styer River to have some "us" time. The sat there in complete silence thinking about the day they spent together.

"So, what did my brothers tell you?" Mercedes blurted out, no longer able to hold back her curiosity

Wondering how to tell Mercedes what he knew, Sam looked at her and said, "They told me about The Hill School."

Mercedes gasped, "What why would they tell you about that, it's in the past."

"Because they think that you are still affected by what those horrible people did to you. They wanted to make sure that I treat you right because they don't want to see you hurt again."

Mercedes eyes were staring at the ground and Sam noticed that she was crying.

"Hey, why that face, why those tears?"

"I didn't want you to know that about me, I thought if you even heard that people thought those things about me, that it would place a seed in your mind to think that way too. I don't want you to see me that way." Mercedes explained as her voice cracked and tears streamed down her eyes

"Mercy, I wish you could see what I see. I wish that you could feel how I feel." Sam walked behind Mercedes, wrapped his arms around her and began to sing in her ear:

_"I wish I could do better by you,  
'cause that's what you deserve  
You sacrifice so much of your life  
In order for this to work._

While I'm off chasing my own dreams  
Sailing around the world  
Please know that I'm yours to keep  
My beautiful girl

When you cry a piece of my heart dies  
Knowing that I may have been the cause  
If you were to leave  
Fulfill someone else's dreams  
I think I might totally be lost  
You don't ask for no diamond rings no delicate string of pearls  
That's why I wrote this song to sing  
My beautiful girl"

Sam kissed Mercedes on the cheek and slowly turned her around to face him. "Time to pinky swear."

Mercedes smiled a bit and laced her pinky with Sam's.

"I Sam Evans promise to be the one for Mercedes Jones. The one to make her smile when she is sad. The one tell her she's beautiful when she see's something else. The one to make her laugh til she can't breathe. The one to hold her hand when she is losing her balance. The one to cheer her on, when everyone else is tearing her down. The one she can count on when no one else is around. I promise this to you Mercedes Jones." Sam smiled and pinched Mercedes button nose.

Mercedes did not have any words for Sam, just love to show him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and caressed the back of his head with her delicate fingers. Sam closed his eyes knowing that self-control with this girl was going to be hard. They kissed gently on the lips and looked deep into each other's eyes, saying in their minds the words they could not say with their mouths…I love you.

Well, that's all for now everyone. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This week is crazy with work, but I'm hoping to update again with a fast forward to Sam & Mercedes future. There will be some tears but also some laughs. Til next time-happy dreams-a.

Song-The Girl by City and Colour…love it, wish I wrote it!


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8…Mean Girls

Sorry for the delay everyone…be safe and enjoy.

'Only one class left' Mercedes thought to herself. 'It's Friday, Sam has the championship game tonight and if McKinley wins, I am hoping to surprise him with some much needed _Mercedes Time.'_

Mercedes ended the day with Study Hall so she knew if she was a little late, Ms. Anderson would be ok. She went to Miss Pilsbury's office to sign up for a college visit that was coming to MHS. She desperately wanted to go into the field of music, but wasn't sure if she had what it takes to make it big. "HEY, Mercedes!" Miss Pilsbury said. "Hi Miss Pilsbury, I wanted to see if I could sign up for the NYU interest meeting. "Sure" Miss Pilsbury said with a hesitant smile. "Why are you looking at me like that, you don't think I have the grades to get into NYU?"

"Of course not Mercedes, you have the grades to get into Harvard if you wanted to, I guess I was just a little surprised that you and Sam had gotten so serious so fast." Miss Pilsbury said

"What does looking at NYU have anything to do with Sam?" Mercedes asked with a hint or irritation.

"Well Sam was just in here a few minutes ago asking to sign up for the NYU interest meeting as well. I just thought that you guys had decided that you would look at some of the same colleges."

"No. We have not had that discussion yet. I mean we've discussed going to college, but Sam did not know if his grades would hold him back, but with all the help he's been getting here at MHS, he's hoping that his options will open up." Mercedes smiled to herself, knowing that the extra tutoring she's been giving Sam has really helped with both his self-confidence and his grades. A major turning point was last week right before the Ms. Anderson's big English test.

Flashback to last Thursday evening…

_"Knock, Knock." Mercedes said softly as she tapped lightly on Sam's bedroom door. Sam was reviewing the plays for Friday night's game and didn't hear Mercedes come in and walk up behind him as he was sitting at his desk. "You know we have Ms. A's exam tomorrow in English." _

_"MAN, Mercedes! You scared me. I didn't even hear you come in." Sam gasped. _

_"Yeah, well if you weren't so engrossed in that playbook maybe you would have heard me knock. I thought we were going to help each other study?" Mercedes asked_

_"Babe, you know it's a big game tomorrow and the team is relying on me. I just want to make sure I have these plays down." Sam said hoping Mercedes would understand._

_"Sam, I am your biggest cheerleader...both on and off the field. I know that you struggled in the beginning of the year, but so far you've been making so much progress that I don't want to see you slip. Do you want me to come by later so we can study?" _

_"No, let's do it now. I can do these plays with my eyes closed." Sam replied. Little did Mercedes know that Sam really needed some Mercedes time since they both have been super busy with school, football, glee club, and family. _

_"Can I have a kiss before we get down to business?" Sam said with a slight smirk on his face that always seemed to make Mercedes melt. _

_Mercedes looked at him as if to say, 'boy do you really think you are that slick?' So not giving him an answer she bent down to look directly in his eyes. She noticed that his eyes turned a dark shade of green as she inched in closer to his lips. She smiled and began to purse her lips. She noticed Sam's eyes closing and instead of kissing him, she whispered in his ear, "Win the game tomorrow and get an A on your English test and I might think about giving you a kiss." _

_Sam's eyes, busted open and grabbed her face before she could pull away. Steadily, the two looked deep into each other's eyes. "Ms. Jones, I'm going to hold you to that, but for now, I want to show you what you're missing." Sam, gently kissed Mercedes on her forehead, than lightly on her eyes, then her nose and both her cheeks. _

_"Sam…" Mercedes whispered_

_"Yes, baby." Sam replied with his heavy Southern accent_

_"You forgot something." _

_"Really, what was that?" Sam smirked knowing exactly what Mercedes was referring to._

_"You forgot to give me a Sammy kiss here." Mercedes said in a cute little girl voice while pointing to her lips. _

_"Nope! That will have to wait til later. Time to study Mercedes!" Sam stood up and went to get his books for English class. _

_Mercedes stood there stunned about what just happened. 'That man took my game and played it on me, seriously, this is war!' Mercedes thought to herself. _

_"You coming Mercedes, I thought we could study in kitchen, I'm kind of hungry." Sam said without even a thought of what just went down in his bedroom. _

_"Sure, I'm coming." Sam held his bedroom door open as Mercedes walked in front of him. Sam starred at the curves of his girl's figure as she walked before him. "By the way Sam, get a good look at what's in front of you. Before that stunt you just pulled in your room, you were about to get really lucky tomorrow night after the Dalton game, but now…not so much." Mercedes said as she looked back and winked at Sam_

_"Wait, what, how lucky!" Sam cried_

_"Mrs. Evan's Sam's hungry you mind if I make him a sandwich?" Mercy said as she walked down the Evan's stairs._

_"Sure! There's plenty of food in the fridge, make yourself at home." Mrs. Evans yelled back_

_Sam closed the refrigerator door just as Mercedes was about to open it. "Mercy, how lucky." Sam said with desperation_

_"Awwwwww, is little Sammy a little curious about what his girlfriend had planned for him? Well you can't miss what you never had." Mercedes smiled again_

_Sam stared at Mercedes to the point that she was getting a little uncomfortable. "It's all good Mercy, I now know your weakness and 2 can play at this game." Now it was Sam who was doing the winking._

_Sam and Mercedes laughed together and began their study session in the library. "Oh Sam you got some mail today, I thought I would bring it in, in case you wanted to look it over before you went to bed." Mary Evan said. "Thanks mom." Sam replied_

_Sam looked at the stack of envelopes that his mom put on the desk. "What's this? Wake Forest University, Vanderbilt, Boston College, University of Maryland." _

_"What is it babe?" Mercedes asked now curious herself_

_Sam opened the letter from Vanderbilt first seeing how it was right near his hometown of Nashville. "Dear Mr. Evans," Sam read the first part out loud, but the rest to himself in case it was bad news. _

_"Sam what is it?" Mercedes asked again. _

_"It's a letter, from the football program at Vanderbilt; I think they are interested in me playing football there." _

_"SAM, that is AMAZING! Congratulations!" Mercedes ran over and gave Sam a big hug. "Aren't you happy, why do you look so sad."_

_"Mercedes, do you see what colleges these are, I can't get into these schools. My grades are horrible and I'm only doing well now because you're helping me, I can't do this good without you." Sam said with embarrassment as he looked down at the floor. _

_"Look at me Sam. We are only juniors; you have all this year and next year to pull your up GPA. And if we work hard and work together, YOU not just me, can do it! I have faith in you and now this is all the motivation you need to make it happen." Mercedes said to Sam with her hands on his shoulders. _

_"Mercedes, I…don't think I can do this without you…I know that it's early and, never mind." Sam said as he looked away from his girl_

_"What were you going to say Sam?" Mercedes asked "remember what we promised." _

_"It's nothing, if I promise to tell you at another time, can we just drop it for now?" _

_"OK, but don't think I won't remember to ask." Mercedes said with a smile_

_And with that, Sam had a new goal, he was going to college. Not sure yet about the football part, but he was headed in the right direction and things were looking good. _

After Mercedes signed up for the NYU interest meeting, she walked toward study hall. She heard a few girls around the corner talking so she decided to slow up a bit in case the conversation was private. She didn't mean to ease drop but it sounded juicy and Mercedes could not resist.

"So what do you think about the new guy, Evans?" Mindy asked her friend Meredith.

"He's hot, in so many ways, can you believe he is with that cow Mercedes Jones? What poison apple did she feed him for him to still be with her? I knew they were together at the beginning of the school year, but I thought he would have seen the gold at McKinley and dropped that piece of fat within a week." Meredith replied to her friend.

"Well, from what I hear he's smitten by the girl, she must put out for Sam to stay around." Mindy laughed

"Please, can you imagine seeing that girl naked, Sam probably keeps all the lights out or wears a mask over his eyes so he doesn't have to look at her." Meredith chimed in.

"Ladies, can I help you with something?" Mercedes did not hear Sam walk up behind her and froze when she heard his voice loud and clear.

"Oh, hi Sam, we were just talking about you, reminding each other that we have to wish you good luck on tonight's championship game." Meredith said while flashing her blue eyes at Sam

Mercedes, stood like a block of cement, feeling Sam's hands intertwine with her fingers and the soft touch of his thumb running across the top of her small hand.

"Yeah right, I think you owe my girlfriend an apology." Sam said without hesitation.

"For what, we didn't do anything to her." The girls reply at the same time.

"Ok, than you owe me an apology for the horrible things I just heard you said about my girlfriend." Sam replied

"I can't seem to remember what I said, why don't you refresh my memory." Meredith said now getting angry

Sam knew this was a trap and thought hard before he made his reply.

"I'm not going to disrespect my girl by repeating those words. But I will say this. As long as this woman is alive, there is not a girl in this school, in this state, in this country, on this planet that would have a chance with me." Sam said with confidence

Mercedes gazed up at Sam, hardly able to believe the words he just said.

"So is that a no, to the apology?" Sam asked one more time to the girls

"It's a free country Sam, we can say whatever about whomever we please." Mindy replied

"That's true. And I'll make sure I remember that the next time one of my boys ask about your sorry behinds. And ladies, in case you're wondering, I may not have seen my girl in all her glory yet, but just so you know, I'll take all her curves over those 2 twigs holding up that lollipop head any day. Lights off and blindfolds would be for you not her." Sam eyed the girls down and dared them to say anything about Mercedes again.

Mercedes and Sam walked silently down the hall. They were now really late for class and decided to go into the auditorium for the last 20 minutes of school.

"Mercedes" Sam said softly

Mercedes sat in one of the auditorium chairs exhausted from the final events of the day.

"You didn't need to say those things Sam. If something happens between us, those girls will make my life a living hell."

"Mercedes, I meant every word I said." Sam said as he sat on his knees right in front of Mercedes. "Look at me Mercy." Sam said as he closed the space between them.

Mercedes could not even look at Sam, tears were streaming down her face as the words of those girls were on repeat in her head.

Sam cupped Mercy's face in his two strong hands. "Mercedes Jones, look at me." Sam said again

"I can't Sam, I can't look at you after what those girls just said." Mercedes cried.

Sam pulled Mercedes into his arms and hummed their song "The Girl" into her ears. Sam introduced Mercedes to City and Colour and they both agreed that this song fit them perfectly.

"Mercedes, you are the most beautiful girl I've ever met." Sam said into her ears.

"Everyone says that about the fat girl." Mercedes said in tears

Sam looked at Mercedes right in the eye and said, "I just told those girls off, for talking about you and then you're going to support what they said by repeating it? And I didn't mean just inward beauty. Every inch of your body is beautiful and I can't wait to see it so that I can show you how much I believe those words." Sam said still looking directly into Mercedes eyes

Still crying, Mercedes said, "I don't know if I can give you all of me Sam. I'm so embarrassed by what I have. I don't think I can let myself be that vulnerable."

Sam and Mercedes had not "the talk" yet. They've been taking things really slow and both being comfortable with the status of their relationship.

"What, just last week, I thought you said I was going to get lucky." Sam said with a chuckle.

This made Mercedes smile and loosen up a bit.

"I thought tonight after the game was a done deal!" Sam said with excitement knowing that his teasing was making his girl return to the diva she was.

"Um excuse me Sam Evans, you know you can't handle all this at one time." Mercedes smiled running her hands down her sides. "I'm going to have to give it to you in doses to make sure you don't explode from Mercedes overload."

"That's my baby girl" Sam said with his Southern accent. "Now can I see that beautiful smile?" Sam asked with puppy dog eyes

"I'll do you better, how about a smile and a kiss." Mercedes said with a little bit of sass in her voice.

Mercedes held Sam's face in her hands and waited as he leaned in close to her. They started with a soft chaste kiss on the lips. Once they broke apart, Sam stared at Mercedes with a look of desire that Mercedes had never seen before. He moved Mercedes hands around his neck and placed his hands around her waist. He pulled her close causing her legs to widen as his body fell comfortably between them. They kissed again with passion and desire. Mercedes hands massaged the back of Sam's neck as Sam began to plant light kisses beneath Mercedes ears. The feel of Mercedes breath on Sam's neck sent chills down his spine. He slowly whispered in Mercedes ear, _"You're a dream come true Mercedes; you're my dream come true." _Mercedes held him tighter in her arms feeling his hands run up and down the length of her back. "You're my dream too Sam, thank you for today." Mercedes whispered in Sam's ear. They ended with another chaste kiss and stood up so that Sam could walk Mercedes to her car.

"So are you ready for the game?" Mercedes asked wanting to lighten the mood.

"I'm ready for whatever you have planned after the game." He replied with a wink.

"Sam." Mercedes stopped when they finally got to her car "I just."

But before she could continue Sam cut her off.

"I know we are not ready, Mercy. And I will promise to never pressure you into anything you are not ready for, but I need you to know, that there is nothing about you that I am ashamed of. Nothing. Do you understand what I mean when I say that?" Sam asked

"Yes." Mercedes said softly

"Good" Sam said as he planted a soft kiss on the top of her head

"Now go get cute for your man & I'll see ya after the game."

"Ok, bye Sam, I'll see ya soon!" Mercedes stood on her tip toes to give Sam one more goodbye kiss. It was sweet, soft, and perfect.

Hey everyone, I know it's been a while, but I figured I would take some time from Hurricane Sandy and use it wisely. I hope it was not too fluffy. I'm trying to be balanced, but it's so hard. I just love writing about love! But every couple has some bumps in the road that's what makes it real. Next chapter is the championship game MHS vs. Dalton, should be fun! See ya there.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

MHS vs. Dalton

Mercedes is super excited for the game tonight. She is decked out in McKinley gear and can't wait to show off the shirt she made in support of Sam. She took her time getting ready. Curling her hair with long loose curls and makeup that was light but played up her eyes. She kept her outfit simple with dark blue skinny jeans, brown riding boots and a white V-neck tee that said across the front:

**PROPERTY OF**

**26**

**EVANS**

Mercedes sprayed a light Jo Malone perfume just to add something special to the evening. Ohio nights were often cool and she always loved the smell of her perfume in the evening air. As she took a final look in the mirror she smiled to herself, as she had to agree she looked quite cute, even though she was just going to a football game.

'Well, I hope Sam likes it, he's been beyond wonderful today and I really want to show him how much he means to me.' Mercedes said to herself.

Later at the game…

"MHS! A LITTLE LOUDER! MHS A LITTLE LOUDER!"

The crowd was going crazy, MHS scored a touchdown and the Ohio State HS Championship Football game was now tied 21-21. There were 6 minutes left in the game and the Jones, Evans clan were sitting together hands intertwined hoping that McKinley HS would finally bring home a state championship.

Mercedes could barely open her eyes. Being the sister of two Division 1 football players has taught her a lot about the game. But out of all the games she has ever attended, this one has bought her the most stress. Her voice was gone from both cheering and yelling at both the players and refs. Sam was having a great game and she couldn't wait to jump into his arms and tell him so. But now down to 3.20 min, she was getting worried that the game would go into OT and honestly she didn't want to see it go that far.

MHS Football POV-

"OK, guys, we got about 3 min. left. We're in the zone, we need just 1 TD. I'm feeling good about this." Sam says during the huddle.

"It's all you Puck, you think you got this?" Sam asks while he puts his hand on his shoulder

"Dude, really, do you even need to ask. I got this." Puck replies

"Ok. On 3….1,2.3,-HUTT"

Back to the stands…

It felt like a scene from a movie. Three minutes left, tie score, all the audience was missing was the slow motion. But it felt like slow motion when it happened. Mercedes looked at the clock winding down 2.30 minutes left in the game. MHS just came out of their huddle and it looked like Sam was going to make the pass to Puck. The clock continued to wind down, Mercedes held her breath as she saw Sam get the ball, run back, look for Puck, then pass… Puck runs towards the end zone, jumps up, catches the ball…SCORE! MHS WINS 27-21.

The Evans and Jones family are jumping up and down hugging each other and crying at the perfect end to the season. Mercedes joins the rest of the crowd as they run down the stands, ready to rush the field so that they can congratulate the team.

Mercedes finally gets to the field but does not see Sam anywhere. 'Where is that boy' she says to herself. Then looking over the crowd she sees a flash of blond hair and those lovely lips about 50 yards away. Her heart begins to race and she feels the palms of her hands begin to sweat. She runs up to him with a smile the size of the sun across her face.

"Mercy!" Sam yells, as he begins to run towards her. Once they meet, Sam lifts Mercedes in his arms and spins her around. Her arms are wrapped around his neck and she cannot believe the sheer joy she feels at that very moment.

"YOU DID IT SAM! WELL YOU ALL DID IT! I can't tell you how proud I am of you!" Mercedes said out of breath but still with the most beautiful smile on her face.

Sam cups Mercedes cheeks and gives her a quick kiss on the lips. "I couldn't have done this without you." Sam says to her. "You helped me stay balanced with my grades, practice, family, I…I…I just can't tell you how much everything you did means to me. Thank you Mercy." Mercedes blushes and looks down at the contrast between her and Sam's hands. She squeezes them tightly so that he knows she is saying "You're welcome"

"EVANS!" Puck, Finn and Mike come running over to the couple. "Dude, you handled the business tonight, great game man!"

"Couldn't have done it without y'all! You think we can do a repeat next year?"

"Without a doubt man, without a doubt." All the guys said in unison.

"Sweet mamma, I like that shirt paying homage to your man." Puck said as he checked out Mercedes outfit.

"What?" Sam said with a bit of confusion

"You didn't see your girls, girls." Puck said with a wink

"Keep it up Puck, it's about to be me & you." Sam said with a look of fire in his eyes.

Sam looked down at Mercedes and finally noticed the shirt she was wearing. "Baby where did you get that?" Sam said with excitement

"I made it, just for you, do you like?" Mercedes asked with just the right amount of flirtation. "I love it, it fits you perfectly." Sam said empathizing the word "perfectly" hoping Mercedes did not get the full meaning of his words. Mercedes rolled her eyes at Sam letting him know she knew EXACTLY what he meant.

"Not to break up the little thing y'all got going on, but we're going to the Pit to celebrate. You guys coming?" Mike asked both Sam and Mercedes.

Sam looked down at Mercedes and realized he really couldn't read her expression. "What do you want to do tonight Mercy?" Sam asked. "I'll do whatever you want Sam." Mercedes replied. Sam immediately had a moment of "De je vu" and remembered the words of Asa and Jonah Jones, **_"we're just letting you know that Mercedes will say yes to anything you want, just keep you."_**

It pained Sam's heart to hear her say that. So he turned to Mike and said, "Count us in, but we may be a little late, I'd like to take Mercedes on a little detour before we get there."

"Detour, is that what they call it in Mississippi?" Mike winked. "Actually, I'm from Tennessee, loser, and it's not what you think, but we will be there." Mike and Sam did a bro-shake and went their separate ways.

"So, I'm going to get showered and changed did you drive?"

"No I came with my parents; I figured we would be going out later, so I didn't want to bring my car." Mercedes replied.

"Cool, well give me 20 min. Here's my keys you can go start the car if you want." With that Sam gave Mercedes another kiss on her head and headed towards the locker room.

"So Mike tells me that you and Sam are taking a detour before meeting us at the Pit." Tina, whispers in Mercedes ear as she links her arms with Mercedes. "Yeah, I'm not sure where we are going, but I'm ok with wherever we go."

"Really, are you also ok, with whatever you DO." Tina asks.

Mercedes begins to take slower steps to Sam's car, realizing the words Tina just said. 'Is it possible that Sam wants to do that tonight?' she thinks to herself. 'I'm not sure I'm ready to take that step. Why did I tell him he'd get lucky tonight…I'm such a tease.' Mercedes continued to think and get nervous at the possibilities for the evening.

"Mercedes, Mercedes, where are you." Tina asked "you really zoned out there, are you ok?" "I'm fine Tina, just thinking."

"Mercedes, if you're not ready to take this step, you need to tell Sam. I don't know what he has planned, but I do know that he is crazy about you and he would never force you to do something you're not ready for. Promise me you'll speak up if things get heated."

"I promise Tina."

Moments later, Sam came running up to the girls. "Thanks for keeping Mercy company Tina, we'll catch up with you and Mike in a bit."

"Ok, have fun and remember what I said Mercy."

Sam looked at Mercedes and wondered about the subject of their conversation before he arrived. Mercedes seemed really happy but also a little nervous as well.

Sam opened the door to his Jeep for Mercedes and helped her in the car. He threw his gear in the back and ran to the driver's side to get them on their way. After Sam started the car he immediately laced he and Mercedes fingers and lightly kissed the back of her hand. Mercedes looked at him and noticed that he looked exceptionally fine this evening. He was wearing dark colored jeans, and a green polo that matched the color of his eyes.

"So where are we going?" Mercedes asked as she looked at Sam. "I stumbled across this place over the summer and I knew I wanted to bring you here when I had the chance. It's actually on the way to the Pit so I figured we could stop by and not be too late for dinner."

"What is it?" Sam could hear the tremble in Mercedes voice. "It's a Summer Cottage." "Oh…" Mercedes replied as she then turned her head to look out the window. "Is that ok, if you want we can go straight to the Pit, I didn't even ask if you were hungry."

"No, I said that I would do whatever you want to do, so the Cottage is fine." Mercedes said softly

Sam heard those words again and could not believe that his girl so often full of confidence was not telling him what she really wanted. They turned down a graveled road that had a beautiful lake on both the right and left side of the trail. Beautiful Weeping Willow trees lined the road with their branches swaying back and forth from the light breeze. Mercedes noticed a small cottage with candles in the window at the end of the path. She let go of Sam's hand and ran her hands up and down her denim clad thighs. 'I can't believe this is really happening. What do I say, what do I do?' Mercedes thought to herself.

Sam parked the car about 25 yards in front of the house. "We're here!" He said with so much excitement. He gets out the car, opens the trunk, takes out a back pack, and then runs to Mercy's door to open it for her. "What's in the bag?" Mercedes asks. Sam doesn't reply, but instead holds his hand out for Mercy and walks her up to the door.

"Sam what are we doing here?" "Do you trust me Mercy?" Sam asked as he took out the keys to unlock the door. He listened for her answer but heard nothing. He turned to look at her and noticed that she was staring at the lake that surrounded the house. "Mercy, are you ready?" "I'm ready Sam." Mercedes whispered

Sorry everyone, but I'm going to have to stop here. I need to think about how I'm going to handle the next chapter and really give it justice. What do you think is going to happen with Sam and Mercedes at the Cottage? Is Mercedes going to gather the strength to tell Sam what she is or is not ready for? Will Sam listen? Or does he have something entirely different planned that even Mercedes was not expecting…let me know your thoughts. And as always I love your reviews and can't wait to read more. School was cancelled again for tomorrow, so I'll have more time to update the next chapter. YEAH! Til then…happy dreams everyone-aa.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**I'm ready.**

Thank you for all the lovely words via your review. They really mean a lot. I don't own Glee, but I hope you enjoy the story. Sorry in advance for the mistakes. I'm getting tired.

Mercedes hesitantly followed Sam into the candle lit cottage. There was a lovely smell of pumpkin and apples that filled the air. It felt like fall and smelled of comfort. Mercedes looked around and saw beautiful white lights that looked like snow falling from the ceiling along with candles in every window throughout the house. "Did you do this Sam?" Mercedes asked with a beautiful smile and eyes that seemed to sparkle. "I did, well actually, Mike and the guys came by earlier tonight to light the candles but I set everything else up last weekend." Sam told Mercedes, so happy that she liked what she saw. "What's all this for?" she asked. "It's for you. It's all for you." Sam said as he began to walk closer to Mercedes. "And what did I do to deserve this?" Sam wasn't sure how to respond, but he had an idea that he hoped would finally show his girl his intentions. "Remember the first day we met and we were sharing family rituals with each other."

"I remember ME sharing my family ritual, but that's still something you need to share with me, and don't think I forgot." Mercedes smiled feeling a little more settled within the cabin. "Well, I didn't forget and I thought tonight was a perfect opportunity to share it with you." "Ok." Mercedes said softly. Sam went over to his bag and pulled out a record player. Mercedes thought to herself 'Man, I have not seen one of those in ages.' Along with the record player, Sam also took out some albums that were so old they still had dust on them. He found an outlet on the wall and plugged in the record player. Slowly, he put an album down the center and placed the needle on the edge. Mercedes eyes lit up when she heard the words:

**_ "Someday, when I'm awfully low,_**

**_ When the world is cold,_**

**_ I will feel a glow just thinking of you_**

**_ And the way you look tonight."_**

"Sam, this is my favorite song. How did you know?" "Simple I asked your mom." Sam said with a smirk on his face. "Sam, tell the truth."

"Ok, Okay, I heard you singing it during the summer while the window was up on your room. It was hot outside and my window was up too. I couldn't avoid the view." Sam smiled as he remembered the moment.

"So what does this have to do with your family ritual?" she asked.

"Well, when were younger my parents lost their jobs, we lost our house, we went on public assistance, and had to move into a 1 room motel. Times were beyond crappy, but every time the times got really bad, my dad would plug in this record player and we would dance. My mom would dance with either myself or Stevie. Or I would dance with Stacey and she would stand on the top of my shoes just to make herself a little taller. It helped so much with giving us some joy. But what I didn't realize is that it also brought us closer as a family. I bought you hear because I want us to have our own ritual. I want us to have something that will keep us grounded when things get bad. Something we can come back to, if we forget that what we have is special and I figured that this place would be a perfect place to do so." Mercedes lips began to quiver and tears began to fall softly from the lashes on her eyes. "I'm speechless Sam; I honestly don't know what to say." "Mercedes you said something tonight that really scared me. You said that you would do whatever I wanted. And that's not the type of relationship I want. I don't want you to agree to things because of the fear of losing me. We are in this together." Sam said looking directly in her eyes. "Sam, I know that we are in this together, I do not understand what you're saying."

"Did you think I bought you hear to have sex?" Sam asked bluntly

Mercedes looked away with tears still streaming down her eyes. She shook her head up and down telling him "yes" with her actions.

"And if I told you that I want to do that tonight, would you say yes."

Still looking away, Mercedes shook her head again, saying "yes."

"Good. Let's go." Sam took Mercedes hand and led her into the cabin's only bedroom. There was a large canopy bed with beautiful pillows and a large white comforter that looked like cotton floating in midair. Sam gently kissed Mercedes on the lips before cupping her face and softly placed stray hairs behind her ears. He kissed her again and then began the hum the melody of Frank Sinatra's "The Way You Look Tonight" in her ear. "Dance with me Mercedes." Sam whispered. Mercedes looked into Sam's eyes and saw nothing but kindness. She was confused because she assumed that he was going to pressure her into a night she really wasn't ready for, but his eyes said something completely different. She placed her right hand in his and her left arm around his shoulders. Sam pulled her close as he placed his hand at the small of her back. The music filled the air and Mercedes began to feel weak in her knees. As the song continued she felt Sam gradually lead her to the bed in the center of the room. He let go of her hand and placed both of her arms around his neck. She no longer heard him hum the melody of her favorite song, she now felt his lips gently kissing her on the skin above her shoulders. As Mercedes felt her back hit the edge of the bed she began to lean back. Sam held her closer to his body and did not let her descend upon the mattress.

"Mercedes do you really want to do this?" Sam asked trying to get her to look into his eyes.

"I say yes, Sam, I'll do whatever you want. I'm ready." Mercedes said still not looking into his eyes. She heard nothing but silence. After about 30 seconds she looked at Sam who now had lashes that were wet with tears. "Sam, what's wrong?" She asked

"Mercy, what did those people do to you? Why can't you be honest with me? I did all this for you. To show you that you are it for me. To let you know that I'm not going anywhere. To show you how much I care about you." "Sam I know all those things, you say it all the time." Mercedes replied. "But, Mercedes do you believe it? Do you really believe that what I say is true? Look at me!" Sam said with a slight raise to his voice. Mercedes was still silent.

"Do you know what your brothers told me when we had that talk in your car? They told me that you would do anything I wanted just to keep me." Mercedes was now looking out the window. "I didn't believe them. I couldn't believe them. Do you know how that made me feel?" Sam was tired of looking at the side of Mercedes head while he was speaking to her. "Mercy, I felt like if everything you did was only for the purpose of keeping me as your boyfriend than how could I really be that special to you?"

"Sam."

"I'm not done." Sam quickly interjected. "But then, your actions proved otherwise. You helped me with my reading, my classes that I was struggling in, you helped my parents when they needed someone to watch Stevie and Stacey, you made time to meet our friends and family even though you had previous plans. Those things made me feel like I was special to you."

"Sam you are the most special person in my life next to my family." Mercedes said finally looking at him in the eye.

"Then why, tonight, when I ask you about taking our relationship to the next level you said yes, when clearly you are not ready?" Sam gazed in her eyes and asked softly so as not to upset her.

Mercedes knew that this time would come. She knew that Sam would be the one to finally make her become vulnerable and admit what she's been most afraid of for years.

Mercedes climbed on the top of the bed and asked Sam to sit next to her. She laced their fingers together and said, "Sam that event at the Hill School destroyed me. I always **_thought_** the things that they said about me, other than me being easy, were true, but seeing it written with my own eyes took it to a whole new level. Now I **_believed_** that others saw me that way. I began to feel like the only way I could be validated was through the attention of a man. I never dated anyone before and then you come into my life, looking like…well, looking like you and I just knew that keeping you would have to take a miracle. It's placed me in a dilemma. If we don't make love, will you leave me? If we do and you see my body, won't you leave me anyway?"

"Mercedes, I would never..."

"Sam, please let me finish. The thing is, if you leave me, in my mind it proves that everything those people said and what I've now come to believe…is true." Mercedes continued to hold Sam's hand. And smiled at the way her hand fit perfectly into his. Sam was not really sure what to say. He understood where she was coming from, but how does he convince her that none of what she believes is true.

"Mercy, intimacy means nothing without love. Anything else is just sex. And honestly, I can get that from anyone. But, I want more than that. I want you. And if that means accepting the bruises and scars that you've developed along the way, then so be it. But, I'm in this. And I'm not sure exactly how to convince you that this is real but I was hoping that this cabin could be a start for us. My dad's boss asked me to fix it up over the summer and he was so pleased with my work that he said I could use it whenever I wanted as long as I maintained the grounds. So I want this to be "our place." Like a foundation that we return to when we need to feel grounded. And whatever first's that we experience here, it will be between you and I only, never to be shared with anyone else." Sam got up from the bed and went to his bag to get a little box wrapped by Stacey. "Sam, I didn't know you were a Hello Kitty fan?" Mercedes said with a big smile on her face. "Yeah, yeah, you keep laughing, next time, I'll get Stevie to wrap it and who knows what that will look like!" He said now smiling to himself. "Open it!"

Mercedes unwrapped the box reminding herself to tell Stacey how much she loved her efforts. She opened the box and saw a gold locket that was opened to a small picture of Sam and Mercedes inside. She looked at him with tears in her eyes and gave him a warm hug. "I love it Sam!" She told him giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Read the back!" Sam said giddy like a little school boy.

**_"Anywhere you go, let me go to, that's all I ask of you…" _**

"Phantom of the Opera, now I know you got that from my mom."

"What can I say, she loves me!" Sam said as he winked at Mercedes.

"You're crazy, but this is perfect. Thank you so much. I love it!"

"I did it for you; I did all of this for you Mercy. I need you to know that you never have to compromise yourself for me. I need you exactly the way you are." Sam said holding her hand and looking right into her eyes. "Do you understand?" Sam asked "Yes, I understand." Mercy replied

"Do you believe me?"

"Yes, Sam, I believe you."

Sam and Mercedes used the rest of the evening dancing, laughing, and making new memories together at the cabin. "It's getting late, do you think we should even attempt to go the Pit to meet up with the team?" Sam asked.

"Whatever you want…" Mercedes stopped herself mid-sentence and remembered what Sam said earlier. "Yes. I think we should still go; the rumor mill is already spinning in regards to what down here tonight. But I think it would be fun to hang out with the team."

"Ok, property of Evans!" Sam said with a seductive voice to Mercedes. She laughed and asked him to wait as she went to get her locket out of the bedroom. Sam piled his things in the trunk and started the car so as to get it warm for Mercedes. Mercedes put her locket around her neck and lightly touched the inscription on the back. She blew out the candles in the window and looked one last time at the bed she and Sam were sitting upon moments ago. Knowing that a beautiful first would be shared there in the future…

Happy dreams everyone, a.


	12. Chapter 12-April Showers Bring

**_It's been ages; I know…my update has been a long time coming. But with work & daily life, it's been hard finding time to write. So here is my next chapter. Sam & Mercedes are still going strong, now entering the end of junior year. About to return from Spring Break when…_**

**_April showers bring…._**

'I should have known that a phone call at 12:38am could only mean trouble.' Mercedes said to herself as she struggled to put her jeans on. Her mind was racing, hands trembling, and tears were streaming down her face as she replays the call over and over in her mind.

12:38am… "Hello, may I speak Mercy Jones" the voice on the line was unfamiliar, as Mercedes tried to gather her thoughts & figure out who was calling her at this time of night. She looked out her window and saw that the Evans family was not back from their family trip to Tennessee. "Mercy, my name is Amy Larken, I am a nurse at the Columbus General Hospital, do you know Samuel Evans?" Mercedes felt the blood leave every vein in her body and quickly jumped out of bed waiting to hear the worse. "Yes, I know Sam Evans, he's my boyfriend is he alright?" The nurse took a deep breath hating to deliver bad news, "Ms. Jones, I'm sorry to tell you this, but Sam was in a terrible accident this evening. Sam was driving and a man leaving a local bar lost control of his vehicle and hit Sam head on. The man was drinking and driving." Mercedes was speechless, Ginger and George Jones heard the voices in Mercedes room and came rushing upstairs. The look of shock on Mercedes face caused Ginger to take the phone from Mercedes. "Hello, this is Ginger Jones, who am I speaking with? Mrs. Jones, this is Amy Larken from Columbus General, I was just explaining to Mercy that Samuel Evans was in an accident this evening." Tears also began to flood Mrs. Jones eyes. "Is Sam ok?" Ginger asked, "He is in critical condition right now, we are having a hard time getting in touch with his parents. We found his phone in his jacket and saw Mercy's number under his ICE file. Do you have a way of getting in contact with is parents?"

"Yes, we do, I'll call them, but they are in Tennessee, can we come to the hospital?" Ginger replied.

"Yes, of course you can Mrs. Jones, Sam is going to need as much support and prayers during the next 24 hours, so please come." Ginger hung up the phone and said, "George, Sam's been in a horrible accident, the hospital can't get in contact with Mary and Dwight, start blowing up their phone and get them up here!" Dwight ran downstairs to grab his phone and started getting dressed for the drive to Columbus. Mercedes was dressed, but sat upon her bed like a statue. "Baby, are you ok?" Ginger sat on the bed next to Mercedes placing her arms around her shoulders.

"Mom, why was he driving back to Ohio, they weren't supposed to leave until Saturday, why was he driving back here alone?" Mercedes began to cry into her mom's shoulder. "I don't know why he left early Mercedes, but I'm sure he had a good reason, what I do know is that you need to be strong for Sam, until his family gets here, we are the only family he is going to have in that hospital. Get you stuff Mercedes, we're leaving." Mercedes gathered her stuff including the photo album that Mercedes made for Sam over the break. She was going to give it to him on Saturday…along with another special gift…

Later that evening…

"Hello." George Jones could tell that he was waking his dear friend Dwight Evans out of a deep sleep. "Dwight, its George." George said slowly to his friend.

"George, what, what happened, is Mercy ok?" Dwight said noticing the time and knowing that a phone call that time of night was never good news.

"Yes. Mercedes is fine…Dwight, I'm calling about Sam. There's been an accident; you guys need to come home…"

Mercedes was in prayer the entire ride to Columbus. She doesn't know what to expect when she gets to the hospital, but is expecting the worse. The nurse did not say much on the phone, but her tone sounded desperate. Dr. Jones dropped Mercedes & her mom off at the front of the hospital as he went to find a parking spot. As they ran to the elevator, Mercedes grabbed her mom's hand knowing that she was going to need her support at this time. They pushed the button for the 5th floor and stood silent looking up at the numbers as they rose from floor to floor. The loud BING startled them both as the elevator doors opened to the 5th floor.

"Hi, my name is Ginger Jones, this is my daughter Mercedes, we are here to see Sam Evans." Ginger said calmly to the nurse behind the counter.

"Hi, my name is Emily, we've been waiting for you, Sam is in 514 I'll show you the way."

Mercedes, walked behind Emily wondering what she was going to see once she entered the room. Her eyes flooded with tears as she saw Sam connected to wires and machines. She couldn't move. And ran out the door almost as quickly as she walked in.

"Excuse, me Emily, I'll be right back." Ginger said nicely to the nurse

"Mercedes Jones" Ginger said sternly to Mercedes.

"Mom, I can't do it, I can't go in there and be strong for him." Mercedes said starting to cry.

"Mercedes, I know this is hard, probably one of the hardest things you've ever had to do. But try not to think of yourself, think of Sam and how much he needs you right now. That boy, loves you Mercedes and think about how happy he will be when he opens his eyes and see's the girl he loves."

Mercedes allowed the words of her mom in sink deep within her heart. She wiped the tears away from her eyes and said, "Ok. I'm ready."

He looked so peaceful. Just like he was sleeping. "Can I touch him?" Mercedes asked Emily. "Of course you can, and if you want to talk to him as well, we really encourage that too." Emily replied

"Is he in a coma?" Mercedes asked

"Yes. He is, I really cannot release too much information until his parents get here, but I know that despite being in the coma, he's a lot better now, than he was when he came in. That boy's a fighter, and I don't know what he's fighting for, but whatever it is, it's working."

Mercedes smiled at Sam and knew that every word the nurse said was right. "Mom, can I have a moment alone."


	13. Chapter 13

**_Let's Talk…_**

Mercedes smiled to the young man lying before her. He looked so peaceful, so silent. This alone caused her to laugh as she knows that Sam Evans is never silent. She grabbed his hand and gently laced their fingers together. Sam always told her that her hands were so soft that they felt like cotton and so light that sometimes he forgot he was even holding them. She stroked her thumb lightly over his skin and gently placed a chaste kiss on his palm.

"Sam, Sam its Mercy, Sam can you hear me?" She whispered in his ear. Mercedes voice trembled as she spoke. "Sam, I'm here, right next to you. Please, tell me what I need to do for you to wake up. There is so much I need to say, so much we need to do, so much life and memories to make…but we can't do them baby if you don't wake up. Wake up and get well." Mercedes had silent tears running down her cheeks. She remembered the last night they were together. And wish that she mustered up the courage to say what she was feeling.

_Flashback…_

_The rain was coming down hard. But the Jones family didn't mind. Asa and Jonah surprised everyone by driving up to Ohio for a little family time. "So what's up with you and your boy?" Asa winked at Mercedes as Jonah sat on the kitchen counter waiting for Mercedes to answer. "What do you mean?" Mercedes asked innocently. "Seriously, Mercedes, you and Sam have been going strong for 7 months now, how much action are you giving that boy?" Mercedes looked at him with eyes lit with fire. "Excuse me dad, since when do I need to give you the details of my love life. Sam is a gentleman and we've decided to take things slow…and when I say "things" I mean everything. So relax, ole man!" _

_"Okay, Okay, just checking in on ya, we like Sam, but we love you, so if he tries anything you're not ready for, you'll let us know…" Asa and Jonah looked at Mercedes with absolute love in their eyes, she knew that soon the time would come for her and Sam to have "the talk" but honestly she still wasn't convinced that Sam really cared about her. It was nothing that he did, it was all her. Her insecurities were really taking a toll upon her mind and confidence and she wasn't sure how much longer Sam was going hang around and wait for Mercedes to feel the same way he felt. _

_There was a knock at the door, Jonah jumped off the counter to go see who was there. "Well, well, well, look who it is, we were just talking about you! What's up man?" Jonah said to the guest giving him a bro hug at the same time._

_"Hey, Jonah I didn't know you guys were in town. Mercedes invited me over for dinner so I came early to see if I could help out." Mercedes still got butterflies the moment she heard his voice. The combination of the base in his voice with that lovely Southern accent always bought a smile to her face. _

_"Mercedes you have a guest." Jonah said teasingly to Mercedes. "Asa, I guess this is our time to leave." _

_"Na, man I was going to hang around, you know do the chaperone thing." Asa said giving Mercedes a little wink._

_Mercedes gave him the look of death "Ok, Ok, chill mama, I'm out of here, but don't think I won't be making random checks on you guys, mom and dad may have gone out, but we'll be right in the basement. Good to see you Sam." Asa & Jonah went down stairs leaving the couple alone. _

_Sam stood at the big island in the middle of the Jones kitchen, watching Mercedes from behind cleaning off some vegetables._

_"So are you going to say hi to me or just stand there looking at…" she turned slightly looking over her shoulder "looking at something you probably shouldn't be looking at." _

_Sam smiled to himself loving the sass that his girl had. He slowly walked up to her and placed his hands on each side of her waist. Mercedes tensed up a bit hoping that Sam didn't mind the feel of her love handles. He wrapped his arms completely around her waist and rested his head in the side of her neck. Mercedes moved her head to the side hoping her actions would lead to a kiss on the space right above her shoulders. Her wish was granted as Sam gently kissed Mercedes and held her body even closer than he was before. She could smell him, feel him, and with all the emotion in the moment she slowly closed her eyes and allowed her hands to rest on top of his. _

_Sam continued to place gentle kisses on Mercedes neck. Loving the way she smelled like a mixture of vanilla and apples. "You still have not said hi to me Mr. Evans." Mercedes said with low tone in her voice. "Hello, Mercedes Jones." Sam said at an even lower octave. Mercedes turned around in his arms and wrapped her arms tight around his body. These were the times Sam loved having a munchkin as his girlfriend. The feeling of her body stretch just to reach his shoulders was such a wonderful feeling as his body could enjoy every curve of her own. Quickly, Sam picked her up allowing their eyes to stare directly at one another. Mercedes gave Sam a soft smile causing Sam to lean in for a gentle kiss on the lips. _

_"I guess this means that dinner is not ready?" Asa said laughing as he interrupted Sam and Mercedes moment. _

_"Really, Asa, you had to come up stairs now?" Mercedes snapped at him. _

_"Hey I told ya, I was going to be a chaperone, it was a little too quite up here, so I needed to make sure you two were not christening the island. It looks like I came up just in time." Asa, gave Sam a knowing look as Sam's whole face turned beet red. "Hey, what did I miss?" Jonah asked, "Nothing, just a little intervention between little mama and lover lips over here." Asa replied, knowing that after Sam left, Mercedes was going to kick his butt. Jonah laughed as he felt the tension in the room and couldn't wait until the showdown between Mercedes and Asa later. _

_Dr. Jones and Ginger came in right as Mercedes was about to lose it with Asa. "Hi guys! We got the wine, hey Sam where's your parents?" Ginger said walking over giving Sam a kiss on the cheek. "Stevie and Stacie had soccer game so they said they'll stop by when they get home." _

_"Ok, well, I'm starving, and I can already tell that I just stopped a beat down between my lovely kids, so before you guys turn this house to shreds let's eat!" Ginger looked around the room and loved the feeling of having the ones she loved together under one roof. _

_Jonah ran over to Mercedes picked her up like a football and placed her over his shoulders as she kicked and screamed, "put me down you idiot, what is wrong with you!" Mercedes screamed. "Just showing you a little love little mama." Jonah laughed as he spun Mercedes around and said, "Hey, Sam, welcome to the family…" _

_Dinner went great and the good times only got better when the rest of the Evans clan arrived. Stacie Evans had a serious crush on Jonah and Asa Jones and seeing her follow the guys around all night was adorable to everyone. As Sam and Mercedes cleaned up the dishes, Sam decided to use the private time to talk with Mercedes about something that's been on his mind. _

_"So, we're going to Tennessee for the Spring Break." Sam opened kind of nervous to have this conversation. "Really, that's great! I've always wanted to see Nashville, I hear it's beautiful." Mercedes said back. "Well, why don't you come with us?" Sam asked quickly. Mercedes looked at Sam with a startled looked upon her face. "What did you say? She asked. "Why don't you come with us" Sam said this time a little slower. _

_"Sam." _

_"Never mind, I knew you were going to say no." Sam looked down staring at what was now an empty sink._

_"Sam, that's not what I was going to say. I would love to go, but Jonah and Asa are staying around for the break. I never get to see them and once they graduate and go to the pros I'll see them even less. It's not that I don't want to go, it just that the timing is all wrong." Mercedes placed her hand upon Sam's arm hoping that he would understand._

_"So your saying that if the circumstances were different than you would have come?" _

_"Definitely." _

_"Well why don't I stay, I really want to spend Spring Break with you Mercy." _

_"Sam, I'll be here when you get back, it's only for a week, I think we can handle a week apart." _

_"OK. One week…I can handle that." _

_Later that evening Sam and Mercedes found themselves in the Jones's basement watching Avatar for the millionth time. Once the movie was over, Sam dimed the lights and wrapped Mercedes in his arms. They loved these times together enjoying each other's company and never wanting the evening to end. _

_"Mercedes?"_

_"Yes."_

_"I love you." Sam said quietly_

_Mercedes looked up quickly at Sam, staring at him like he was speaking a foreign language. _

_"What did you say?" She asked'_

_"I love you." Sam said this time with even more confidence than before_

_"Why would you say that, what do you want from me?"_

_Sam was startled, "What do you mean what do I want from you? I don't want anything; I just wanted to tell you how I feel." _

_"Sam, I'm not, I mean, it's just, well, what I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry I can't do this." Mercedes said flustered with tears beginning to form in her eyes. _

_"Mercedes, I didn't say I love you, because I want you to say it back, I said I love you because, simply, I wanted you to know." Sam said with absolute calm in his voice. _

_Mercedes felt a flush of emotions take hold of her heart. She remembered the conversation she had with her brothers. She remembered all the shared moments with Sam and how they all added up to convince her that what she felt was real. But in the back of her mind, the doubt was still there. That feeling that one day Sam would wake up and not want to be with her anymore. _

_She felt him take his hands and cup her face between his strong fingers. The kiss was sweet and passionate as his hands embraced the back of her neck and began to play in her hair. Mercedes lay back on the sofa allowing Sam's body to completely envelop her own. They remained in that position for what seem like hours, and then soon separated needing breath, as Sam stared into Mercedes eyes and kissed her lightly on her forehead. _

_"I don't' think I'm ready Sam." Mercedes said softly_

_"I know Mercedes and I'll never pressure you. But I want you to know that I'm in, I'm in for the long haul. And as long as I know that you are in this with me, I'll wait." Sam said whispering into Mercedes ear. _

Two Months Later…

"Good morning Sunshine!" Mercedes sang as she walked into room 514 at Columbus General Hospital. She placed a gentle kiss on Sam's forehead as was her routine for the past 8 weeks. Sam was still in a coma but Mercedes refused to give up. His condition stayed the same and although it was heartbreaking for both the Evans and Jones family they all strengthened each other through their friendship that was quickly beginning to feel more like family.

"What's that you say? I look fine, only the best for you baby." Mercedes says with a slight giggle to Sam. She walks over to him and holds his hand softly.

"Sam, it's been 2 months. And I'm getting scared. I overheard a conversation between our parents and I think…well, let's just say I need to ask you a favor. I know it's selfish of me and I know that you are trying. But, I need you fight, fight harder. I need you to hear me and hold my hand. I need you to do something, anything to let us hold on longer. Please Sam…anything." Mercedes said softly. Looking deep into his face, Mercedes saw nothing. No movement, no sounds, just the sight of his breathing chest slowing rising with every breath.

Mercedes took out her homework and soon feel asleep after working on it for 2 hours. Visiting hours were almost over and Mercedes promised her parents that she'd be home by 10:30. As she gathered her things, she stopped and looked closely Sam. She smiled at how peaceful he looked and wondered if she was in his dreams.

"Sweet dreams, my beautiful, beautiful, Sam." As she kissed him lightly on his cheek she whispered in his ear, "I love you too." Mercedes walked out the room, never seeing his right hand move as if looking for her hand of which to lace his fingers between…

OK…Well, I am hoping not to take a hiatus as long as the one before. I really love this story and cannot wait to bring you more. Sweet dreams everyone…hope to see you soon.


	14. Chapter 14

It's been to long, I don't own anything, let's roll...

**Eyes wide open…**

The nurses on the 5th floor of Columbus General Hospital always waited until Mercedes left to check Sam's vitals. There was something so special about her dedication to Sam, that all of the nurses hoped for a happy ending to their story.

"Bye, Mercedes see ya next week!" nurse Ami Larken said to Mercedes as she entered the elevator. Mercedes looked up at Ami with just a half smile, it made Ami's heart sink as the elevators closed before Mercedes face. Ami wanted to run to Mercedes and tell her not to give up, but knew that the only thing to cheer Mercedes up would be to see the open eyes of her Sam.

"I'm going to check on Sam" Ami told Felicia one of the other nurses on duty.

As Ami breezes into Sam's room she says, "Sam Evans, I think you need to put you're A game on, that lovely lady of yours is starting to get a little down." Ami has her back facing Sam as she prepares to run a few test. "I mean the girl's here every week sitting right by your side the most you can do is open you're…" Ami stops dead in her tracks as she turns to look at Sam. His eyes are open, and looking around like he's trying to figure out where he is. "Sam. Sam. Can you hear me?" He tries to respond, but nothing comes out. His skin turns ghostly pale and a look of panic emerges upon his face. Sam starts hyperventilating so Ami runs to place an oxygen mask on him. "Breath Sam, breath, it's going to be ok. My name is Ami, I'm here to help you, keep breathing, keep breathing." Ami pushes the call button to get some additional help. Immediately, Felicia comes running into the room, unable to believe the scene before her eyes.

"Felicia, call Dr. Stanchi and see if you can catch Mercedes before she leaves!" Ami calls out.

Upon hearing Mercedes name, Sam looks up at Ami and suddenly begins to feel a single tear fall down the side of his face. Ami looks down and gently wipes the tear away hoping that Mercedes is still in the building.

_"Would Mercedes Jones please return to the 5__th__ floor?" _

As Mercedes walks out the electronic doors she could have sworn she heard her name being called. She stopped for a brief moment and heard nothing but silence so she proceeded to her car knowing that she was going to hustle to get home by 10:30. As she went to unlock her doors she realized that she left her keys on the table by Sam's bed.

"Shoot, mom & dad are going to kill me, this will be the second weekend in a row that I'm late getting home." Mercedes began to run into the hospital, but as she entered she heard it again:

_"Would Mercedes Jones please return to the 5__th__ floor?"_

'Well at least I know they have my keys.' Mercedes said out loud. As she pressed the button to the 5th floor, she began think of all the excuses she could give to her parents to explain why she was late getting home.

"Hi, I'm Mercedes I think I left my keys here." She said to the nurse on duty. "Mercedes, Mercedes Jones?" the nurse asked her.

"Yes, that's me. I just heard my name called over the intercom, I left my keys in Sam's Evans room are they up here?"

"Hold on one second Mercedes."

Mercedes had an uneasy feeling telling her that something was wrong. She always respected the hospital visiting hours so she didn't want to run to Sam's room to make sure he was ok.

The absence of the nurse on duty felt like hours. When she returned to the nurses' station she simply said, "Come with me."

Mercedes placed a death grip on her purse pretending it was the hand of her mom or one of her brothers. The nurse led her to Sam's room and Mercedes began to feel the speed of her heart beats increase.

As she walked into Sam's room she stopped with a look of awe upon her face. She tried to talk, but nothing came out.

"Sam, my name is Dr. Stanchi, can you hear me?"

Mercedes could not hear a reply, but she saw a familiar mop of blonde hair moving up and down indicating he was saying Yes, Yes he could hear him!

Mercedes gasped, causing everyone in the room to turn and look at her. Sam was lying flat on his back, but even from where she stood she could see flecks of emerald reflected in his eyes. The room got quite.

"You must be Mercedes." Dr. Stanchi smiled "And I believe that this young man belongs to you."

Mercedes still unable to speak nodded her head in the affirmative.

"Well, Sam gave us a bit of a scare a few minutes ago, he had a slight panic attack, but now he's calm, you want to come over and say hello?"

Mercedes slowly walked over to Sam, not even sure what to say. She's dreamed of this moment for 2 months and now that's it's here she's speechless.

"Ami or Felicia, can you give Mr. & Mrs. Evans a call, I'm sure they will want to get here as soon as possible."

"Mercedes," Dr. Stanchi said as Mercedes looked up at him. "Sam's been through a lot over the past 2 months, he may not have his complete voice and cognitively he may struggle with his memory, but we have taken good care of him and we are certain of a full recovery."

"I'll give you a few minutes and then come back to check on Sam."

"Thank you Dr. Stanchi" Mercedes said looking up at the doctor. In that very moment, Mercedes felt a jolt run up her arm. Sam found her hand and immediately laced their fingers together. Mercedes looked down and felt the tears stream down her eyes.

"Hey, you." Mercedes said as she allowed her right hand to brush his hair away from his eyes. "I've missed you."

Sam said nothing as the oxygen mask was still upon his face. But the look in his eyes was enough conversation for the two of them. "The nurses are calling your mom & dad. And I'm sure the screams of Stevie & Stacie will alert the neighborhood to the good news." At hearing his brother & sister's name, Sam slowly closed his eyes, allowing tears to fall freely from both of them. He took a deep breath and raised his left hand to remove the oxygen mask. Not a sound came out as he tried to speak. "Dr. Stanchi said you may not have your voice for a while, do you want some paper?" Sam nodded yes and Mercedes reached for her purse feeling a tighter grip on her hand as she tried to let go of Sam's hand to get the pen and paper. She smiled at the jester and decided to use the pad next to Sam's bed.

Reluctantly, Sam let go of Mercedes hand and began writing.

**"THANK YOU"**

Mercedes looked at the piece of paper and said, "Thank you. Thank you for what?" she asked

Taking a little while to collect his thoughts and put to paper what he wanted to say.

**"NOT GIVING UP"**

Reading the three words Sam wrote, Mercedes began to cry. Sam pats the empty spot in the bed next to him and motioned that he wants Mercedes to lie next to him.  
"Sam if I get on this bed, I am sure it will flip over"

Sam rolls his eyes and writes,

**"GIRL, DO YOU WANT TO GET CUT?**

Mercedes smiles to herself, hops on the bed and realizes that as usual they are a perfect fit.

"I'm tired Sam." Mercedes whispers as she traces the patterns on his hospital gown. Suddenly she feels his arms around her, pulling her closer to his body.

Their eyes close together…and for the first time, in a long time Mercedes & Sam find genuine rest.

Ok, everyone. I hope you liked the latest update. Can't wait to read more of your beautiful reviews. Our next section will skip to summer or possibly senior year. I know where I want to take this, but not sure yet how I'm going to get there…bear with me, I want to make it good and do this lovely couple justice! Sweet dreams everyone-


	15. Chapter 15

**I don't own it…let's roll…**

"Come on Sam, push it!" Mercedes yelled as Sam ran after her up the trail at Laurel Creek State Park. "Just a little ways to go, push it!" she yelled again.

'God this girl is killing me.' Sam said to himself. It's been 3 months since Sam was released from the hospital. He began physical therapy immediately, and had the goal to make Quarterback on the MHS football team. Mercedes knew that he was going to have to work extra hard to meet his goals, so she decided to work out with him and now not only did Sam have a diva on his hands, he had a very, very, fit one at that. Mercedes still had those beautiful curves, but now those curves were primarily muscle and Sam was not complaining. In fact the slow pace of which he was going was really to keep his eyes on the beautiful prize before him. Mercedes got to the top of the trail and waited for Sam to join her. She looked at the view before her and could not ignore how beautiful the mountains were.

"Don't touch me."

"What, wait how did you know it was me?"

"You smell Sam, and not like I just ran 5 miles smell, you actually stink and although I love that fact that you make me feel all wonder woman by letting me pass you, don't think I don't know that you were staring at my…_bootie_ the whole time." Mercedes turned around to see a speechless Sam.

"What now you have nothing to say?" Mercedes smiled as Sam began to walk toward her.

"I plead the 5th, but in my defense, I only stayed behind you to make sure you were safe. There's bears out here you know." Mercedes was not impressed and as Sam continued to walk toward her she began to run.

"SAM! I said DON'T TOUCH ME!" Sam grabbed Mercedes by the waist and held her close to his body. "You stink, let go of me." Mercedes said laughing her head off. "You know you like me all sweaty, Mercedes Jones." Sam whispered in her ear. Mercedes turned around looked directly in his eyes and tickled his sides causing him to quickly let go of her. She ran down the hill with Sam hot on her trail. Once they got to the bottom Mercedes says, "Now that was a work out, look out Ole Miss' Sam Evans is on the way!" Mercedes cheered.

She noticed the look on his face turn from happy to sad.

"I thought you didn't want to go to Ole Miss Mercy?"

"Well, I'm not sure, but I thought after you visited Jonah & Asa, you said you really loved it?" Mercedes asked.

"I did, but…"

"But what?"

"Do you really think I want to go to Oxford without you? I mean Jesus, Mercy after everything we've been through, why would I want to continue to build this life, without you in it." Sam asked

"Sam, we are 17 & 18 years old. We start our senior year next week; we have our whole lives ahead of us. Why are you getting so serious?" As soon as the words came out, Mercedes regretted it. Sam looked at her with flooded eyes and went to the car. "Sam I'm…"

"Don't." Sam said back to her. "I'll be in the car waiting for you."

Mercedes took a deep breath and looked up at the sky wondering why she can never get a hold of that tongue of hers.

"Sam, I'm sorry." Mercedes said as she shut the passenger side door. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out the way it did."

"I know you didn't, it just hit a nerve that's all. I mean I almost lost you Mercedes, do you understand how much that scares me?" Mercedes looks out the window with tears running down her eyes. "What's wrong?" Sam asks

"Nothing." She replies wiping the tears from her eyes. "It can't be nothing, why are you crying?" She opens the door and jumps out the car. Sam is hot on her trails wondering how a day that started off so beautiful suddenly got to the point they are at now.

"Mercedes, what's going on?" Quickly, Mercedes turns around. now tears streaming everywhere. "Did you just hear what you said?" she asks, "you just said, _**I almost LOST YOU**_." Sam looks at her completely confused.

"YOU Sam Evans did not almost lose me, I…I ALMOST LOST YOU!" she screams back at him. "You weren't the one driving back and forth to Columbus 3 times a week. You weren't the one doing her homework and projects in a hospital room every week. You weren't the one singing and talking to her boyfriend at night, just hoping for some sort of response. You weren't the one to get a phone call at 12:38am telling you that her boyfriend was hit head on by a drunk driver! I was Sam, it was me! So spare me the I almost lost you speech. You did not almost lose me, I almost lost you…and…you know what, never mind. Let's go."

Sam stood there stunned, not even knowing how to reply. Mercedes leaves him and walks to the car, while Sam stands there like a block of cement sinking into the ground. Mercedes can't believe the way she just yelled at Sam and realized that one unanswered question was the reason for her frustration. She wants to say she's sorry; she wants to run back to him and start all over. "Get out the car, Mercedes." She hears a whisper as the passenger door opens. Mercedes stares straight ahead and does not move.

"Get out."

"No."

"Get out"

"No."

"Mercedes, GET OUT!"

Mercedes looks at Sam, seeing anger in his eyes that she has never seen before. It scares her, so she slowly turns her body toward Sam and gets out the car. Sam shuts the door behind her and takes her hand to lace their fingers together. They walk in silence to a small lake on the other side of the trail. The tension is thick between the couple and both are wondering who is going to speak first. There is a small dock that leads visitors to the middle of the lake. Sam leads Mercedes down the dock til they get to the end and sit down.

"Why are we here Sam? I want to go home." Mercedes says softly.

"What were you going to say?"

"Excuse me?"

"Earlier, you were going to say something, but said, never mind before you asked. What was it?" Sam sat patiently waiting for Mercedes to respond, determined he would not say a word until she did so.

Mercedes looked into the distance and knew that she had to get an answer to the question that has long been on her mind.

"Why did you do it?" Mercedes asked still looking off into the distance.

"Why did I do what, Mercedes?" Sam replied

There was a long pause before Mercedes look a deep breath.

"Why did you leave Tennessee early? You were not supposed to come home until Saturday with your family. What were you doing on the road at 12:30 in the morning?" Her lips were trembling and her voice cracked as she asked Sam the question. He took a deep breath.

"I was coming for you, Mercedes. I was coming for you."

"What? What do you mean?" Mercedes asked stunned

"Remember when we talked on the phone the Tuesday before the accident?"

"Yes."

"I told you that we had to come home Saturday, instead of Thursday and you sounded so hurt. Like it broke your heart to hear that news. I asked you if everything was ok and you said yes, but that you had a surprise for me planned and you were hoping to give it to me Thursday evening. Do you remember saying that?"

"Yes." Mercedes said softly lowering her head and looking deep into the lake.

"I begged my parents to let me drive home early and they said yes. I was coming home to surprise you. I was coming home for you Mercy."

Sam said the last part low enough that it could be considered a whisper. The two sat together, hands held, breathing deeply, not knowing where the next moment would lead them.

Mercedes was the first to move. She let go of Sam's hands and turned her body to face his. He felt the weight of her hands leave his and suddenly felt empty inside.

"Sam."

Silence

"Sam, look at me please."

Sam turned his body toward Mercedes but still had his eyes staring into the lake.

She softly turned his face toward hers and cupped both sides so that their eyes were staring directly at each other.

"I did have a surprise for you. My surprise was me. I was going to give you me when you came home. I decorated the cabin, had a whole speech prepared, I was ready. But then…"

"But then, I went and messed everything up." Sam said with a slight crack in his voice. "Nothing was messed up Sam, it just wasn't…"

"The right time." The two of them said together at the exact same moment.

"Mercy, I'm sorry. I had no idea. I don't know what to say, I'm just so sorry."

"Sam, you don't need to apologize. It's neither one of our faults. I just think that this conversation was way overdue and the way we got here proves that. I'm so disappointed at the way I yelled at you. You didn't deserve that. I'm sorry." Mercedes says now looking down at the dock.

Sam lifts Mercy's chin so that their eyes are level and kisses her softly on the lips. His hands run up her arms and meet each other behind her neck. Mercedes hands rest on Sam's waist as she relishes in the kiss that is way overdue. Sam deepens the kiss opening his lips just a little to see if Mercedes will do the same. She answers him in kind and feels butterflies fly around from her toes to the top of her head. They separate when air is needed and let their eyes have the conversation they cannot express with words. Sam kisses her again with the same urgency as before. He pulls Mercedes body close to his and loves the softness he feels as she wraps her arms around him. The kiss ends with a beautiful smile upon Mercedes face. Sam traces the outline of her lips with his fingers and knows that he has found true joy.

"So."

"So."

"So, what does this mean?" Sam asks

"I want to make you happy Sam, I really do, but the past few months have been exhausting and would you hate me if I ask if we wait a little longer?" Mercedes looked away hoping that her answer would not get Sam angry.

"Mercedes, I love you."

She looked at him stunned, never having heard those 3 words before.

"I love you, so however long you need to wait, I'll be here. The only thing I ask is that we share that first with each other. Deal?"

She was too shocked to speak, so she just shook her head in agreement.

Sam stood up and extended his hand to help Mercedes stand. Their fingers laced together as they began to walk back to the car. He opened the door for her and shut it softly as she sat down. As he got in the driver side and started the car, she took his hand and kissed the top, knowing that she loved him too.

Ok. Well, I'm happy I was able to post another chapter for everyone. Senior year starts soon as does some of the drama…More characters will be introduced and more memories will be made. Thank you for joining me on this journey everyone…sweet dreams. A.


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